


Fortune Favors the Foolish

by Isabeau_Gower



Category: Weiß Side B (Manga)
Genre: Anal Sex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Frottage, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Oral Sex, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-10-06
Updated: 2005-10-30
Packaged: 2018-03-01 06:27:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 78,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2763050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isabeau_Gower/pseuds/Isabeau_Gower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Aya has settled in well to life in England with KR's Side B, Ken's relationship with one member, Chloe, has been like oil and water.  What began as a mere lack of common interests, however, has blossomed into friction that is bleeding over into missions and that's a problem.  When things boil to a violent head, Aya, with a little help from Free, tries to smooth things over between the pair.  Will they come to a meeting of the minds or will they come to blows?  It will take more than luck to get these two stubborn men to see eye to eye, but Fortune frequently favors the foolish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 

“Where the hell were you?!” Ken screamed at Chloe after slamming the front door.

 

“I was dispatching the target, Ken.  In other words, I was exactly where I was supposed to be.  Why is that a problem for you?  Did you miss me?”

 

“I was your backup, you pompous ass.  How am I supposed to watch your back if you ignore the plan and wander off?”

 

“The target changed the plan, Ken, not me, and I had to follow or abort.  As for my pompous ass… well, it’s here now if you’re so interested.  Go ahead and stare at it to your heart’s content.”

 

“You – vain – bastard!  Don’t expect me to watch your back ever again after this.”  As he turned to face Aya, Ken added, “I’m outta here.  I need to get cleaned up.”

 

“Wait, Ken.  Yuki and Michel picked up some Chinese takeout for us.  Do you want me to save anything for you?”  Aya asked, trying to defuse his volatile teammate.

 

“No, I don’t,” Ken barked loudly in response before pausing to take a deep breath.  After a moment to calm himself, he continued, “Sorry, Aya, thanks for the offer, but I don’t think I want anything right now except a shower.”  Giving a small, weary smile as an apology, Ken turned and stalked away in the direction of the bathroom.

 

Chloe turned and took a step in the opposite direction toward the kitchen table where the familiar white containers were already laid out along with plates and chopsticks.  As he did so he muttered, “Stupid, hot-headed jock” under his breath.

 

Aya grabbed Chloe’s arm just above the wrist and stopped the blond from walking away.  “Chloe, please don’t…”

 

“Don’t what?”  Chloe interrupted.  “I didn’t do anything to him and he wanted to take my head off.”

 

“Don’t tease him like that, Chloe.  I understand that you needed to follow the target, but you should have let him know about your change in position.  He was your backup and he can’t do his job if he isn’t kept informed.  I agree that Ken shouldn’t have shouted at you that way, but I think it’s only because he was worried about you and he’s hopped up on adrenaline.  You should have seen him fighting to get to you; he was like a man possessed.”

 

“From what I’ve heard, you come from a very screwed up team, Aya, and their warped personalities are not my problem.”

 

“I come from a very capable team, Chloe, and you would do well to remember that fact.  Ken is very good at what he does.  He doesn’t deserve to be dismissed like that, nor does he deserve to be teased with your sexual innuendo.  One of these days, you may find yourself nursing a sore jaw and I won’t stop him.”

 

A long pause dragged on between the two men.  While Aya waited to see if his words had any effect on Chloe, Chloe waited to see if he would be required to gnaw his own arm off to escape the conversation.  For some reason, Ken and Chloe periodically rubbed each other the wrong way.  Granted, they didn’t have all that much in common, but those things never seemed to be the source of the volatile tension between them.  Just what the next trigger might be or when the next explosion might come seemed impossible to predict.  Chloe dealt with the awkwardness by teasing and baiting his new teammate, but his careless provocation of the emotional ex-Weiss member was leading more and more frequently to events much like what happened this evening and that could get someone hurt in the field.  Ken’s quick temper and outbursts didn’t help the situation, but Chloe was not nearly as innocent of culpability in the incidents as he pretended to be.

 

“Just think about it, Chloe,” Aya continued, “and ask yourself if you would’ve behaved any differently if Free or I had been the one backing you up this evening.”

 

With that parting comment, Aya released Chloe’s wrist and allowed him to pull away.  Chloe moved quickly and went through the motions of gathering food and tea, but his appetite had waned in the shadow of Aya’s words.  The more he poked at his food, the more he had to admit that at least part of what Aya had said rang true.  Chloe tried to imagine Free being his backup for this evening’s mission and instinctively knew that he would’ve said something.  The same was doubly true for Aya.  Free possessed an uncanny sixth sense about things and might have sensed any sudden change in plans, but Chloe still would have called out an alert, at the very least, if not the details.  Ken and Aya on the other hand would have no way of knowing the target’s change of route if they weren’t explicitly told, and Chloe simply couldn’t envision himself leaving Aya that far out of the loop. 

 

Finally deciding that he had spent enough time pushing his food around on his plate, Chloe finished the last of his tea and stood to take his dishes back to the kitchen by way of the garbage can.  As he shut the dishwasher door, Chloe heard his name being called and turned to face the speaker.  Something was flying through the air toward his head and he snatched it easily before it collided with his face.

 

“What’s this?” Chloe inquired.

 

“You forgot your fortune,” Free answered simply before he turned and walked away.

 

Sure enough, the item Free had tossed at him was one of the fortune cookies from the restaurant.  If Free had gone to the trouble to seek him out to give it to him, there was no point in returning the seemingly innocuous cookie to the table.  It would just show up later on his nightstand and it would doubtless be the self same one even though no one else would be able to tell the difference.  Free had a way about him and it wouldn’t do to argue the point.  Not really wanting to deal with it now, however, Chloe carelessly placed the plastic wrapped cookie into his pocket and walked down the hallway to try to find Ken. 

 

Chloe still wasn’t certain what he ought to say to his teammate, but he admitted to himself that something likely needed to be said.  After finding the bathroom door standing open and the room empty, he assumed that Ken had retreated to his bedroom to dress and sulk, but failed to find him there as well.  Now thoroughly puzzled, Chloe stood in the hall and wondered briefly where to search next.  Aya’s door stood open and so he knocked softly before poking his head inside the room.

 

“You wouldn’t happen to know where Ken disappeared to, would you?”  Chloe inquired.

 

“That depends on why you’re looking for him, Chloe,” Aya answered warily from his chair by the window where he sat reading a book.

 

“I suppose I deserve that given the way this evening went, but I’m actually wanting to mend fences a bit if that makes a difference.”

 

“In that case,” Aya stated, “you can find him in the laundry room taking care of his equipment.”

 

“Thanks, Aya, for the info… and for the talk.”

 

“I’m glad you found it helpful,” Aya answered, being deliberately vague as to which conversation he was referring to spare his friend any embarrassment.  “Let me know how it goes.  Ken’s a good man, a loyal friend.  I’d like to see you two get along better and not just for the sake of the missions.”

 

Chloe nodded at Aya to acknowledge the offer and backed away from the door.  As Chloe made his way to the laundry room, he wondered what exactly to say to his teammate.  Should he apologize?  Should he just offer to talk?  What was the best way to handle this?  Chloe knew he should say that he was sorry, and he was, but there was still a certain amount of pride getting in the way and he was desperate to save face while he calmed the waters. 

 

All too soon, Chloe was standing in front of the laundry room door and found himself frozen in place.  Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open, too forcefully as it turned out, since Ken had been standing at the utility sink and not by the washer or dryer. 

 

The rapidly moving door connected with Ken’s back, unbalancing him and pushing him forward over the sink.  As he struggled to keep from hitting the wall, the faucet, or the dunking his head in the dirty water, Ken grabbed the edge of the large basin to catch himself.  In the process of doing so, however, Ken also caught the edge of the towel he had wrapped around his waist when he had gotten out of the shower. 

 

After Chloe felt the door connect with Ken’s solid form, he stepped through the doorway with an apology on his lips for having hit the man and then froze in place.  When Ken righted himself and turned, the hand still snagging the edge of the towel trapped one side behind him and the towel pulled open and fell off.  Chloe now found himself face to face with a completely naked Ken who was growing more and more red-faced by the second.  Chloe knew that he should turn away, knew he should speak the apology that had stopped at his lips, knew that he should, at the very least, close his gaping mouth, but found that he could do nothing except stare. 

 

Utterly mortified, Ken looked down at himself in stunned disbelief .  Closing his eyes and gripping the sink behind him, he silently prayed that if he just wished hard enough, he might magically wake up and find that it had all been some sort of bad dream.  It was not.  When Ken opened his eyes and glanced back up at Chloe, he found that the man was still in the room with him and that the blond’s eyes had followed Ken’s own downward glance and had stayed firmly fixed on Ken’s all too exposed groin. 

 

Chloe knew he was in trouble.  He could sense that Ken’s eyes had shifted to his face and it was painfully obvious exactly where Chloe was looking.  He should have closed his eyes, left the room, said something, anything, but by now it was far too late.  Ken’s original state of shock gave way to a fast rising anger.  The tension of the whole day from the preparation for the mission to its near failure and culminating in their argument after returning home had finally gotten the best of him and now the object of most of Ken’s frustrations was standing two feet away and staring openly at his naked body.  Chloe managed to look up just in time to see the dam burst in Ken’s eyes and the next thing he knew, he had been pushed up against a wall with an arm against his neck and with a very angry Ken right up in his face.

 

The force of his back hitting the wall knocked the wind out of Chloe but also seemed to loosen his tongue.  “I…”, Chloe tried to croak out around the pressure of Ken’s arm over his windpipe.

 

“You…”, Ken cut him off.

 

Whatever it was that Chloe wanted to say, the look in Ken’s eyes made him hesitate.  Ken was deadly serious right now and saying the wrong thing would be disastrous. 

 

“Sorry,” Chloe managed to whisper.  The word came out more as a hissing breath than a recognizable apology but Ken’s focus had shifted from Chloe’s eyes to his lips and Chloe hoped he’d understood.  Somehow though, the tension still felt high and Chloe was acutely aware of the man’s powerful body, tightly strung and pushed up against his own.

 

Ken read the word shaped by Chloe’s mouth as he struggled to speak and was close enough to have felt the breath from it against his own lips as well.  His brain loosely processed the fact that the other man had apologized but Ken’s body was hyped on adrenaline and he wasn’t giving ground.  The laundry room was cool and accentuated the heat coming from the body he currently had pinned to the wall.  Chloe’s breath was warm against his face and the lips right in front of his eyes were… Ken felt himself push forward to savagely claim those lips and moved his grip to Chloe’s shoulders.  All the intensity of his emotions burst forward into the kiss which quickly transformed from angry and violent to possessive and animalistic. 

 

Chloe should have been surprised by the kiss, should have been shocked, but he was enjoying it too much to care.  He had been openly admiring the body in front of him and now the smell and feel of Ken was intoxicating.  He had no thoughts about ‘Ken, the teammate,’ he only saw and felt a beautiful, muscular man plundering his mouth and holding him tightly.  Feeling adventurous, Chloe moved his hands away from his sides, grabbed Ken’s hips and pulled him closer.  As they crushed their bodies against one another, it quickly became apparent that both men were growing very aroused by the frenzied kiss. 

 

The feel of Chloe’s erection pressing insistently back against his own finally snapped Ken back to reality and he pushed himself away.  Quickly retrieving his towel from the floor, Ken tied it back around his waist and leaned heavily over the sink facing away from Chloe and the door.

 

“I’m sorry, Chloe,” Ken finally said, his tone breathless and tinged with a note of despair.

 

Chloe took a step toward his teammate and reached up as if to put a hand on Ken’s shoulder, but then changed his mind and let it drop back to his side.  Could this possibly get any worse?  Afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing, Chloe turned and silently left the room.  The need to flee, to think, was suddenly overwhelming and he found himself in his bedroom only a few hazy moments later packing a small bag with enough toiletries and clothing for a few days. 

 

As Chloe headed for the door, he spotted Free standing next to the key rack and holding Chloe’s car keys in front of him.  Wanting nothing more than to be far away as quickly as possible, Chloe extended his hand and silently demanded the keys.  Free extended his hand but, instead of simply dropping the keyring onto Chloe’s waiting palm, he waited for Chloe to reach for them.  When Chloe closed his hand around the keys, however, Free continued to hold one end tightly and pinned Chloe’s eyes with his own. 

 

A cryptic, “Tiger, Tiger, burning bright,” left Free’s lips before he finally relinquished the keys and moved away from the door. 

 

From behind him, Chloe heard another voice ask, “Going somewhere?”

 

‘Damn,’ Chloe cursed his ill-fortune mentally.  It was Aya.  He was never going to get out of here, at least not with his sanity intact.

 

“What makes you think…” Chloe started to bluff before he realized his keys were dangling in his hand and his small case was sitting on the floor next to him in plain sight.  Fighting back a weary sigh, Chloe abandoned escaping in secrecy for Plan B.  “Yes.  If it’s all right with you, I’d like to go down to KR’s place for a few days.  Will you cover for me in the shop?”

 

Chloe’s nonchalance was well practiced but little escaped Aya’s piercing gaze and that included the fact that what little color Chloe ever possessed was well and truly gone from his face.

 

“What happened?” Aya finally asked, not at all certain he truly wanted to know the answer.

 

Deflated and defeated, Chloe admitted, “I wish I knew.”  In the wake of his answer, Chloe could almost see Aya thinking; see the agile mind at work as their leader weighed what he knew and tried to formulate a strategy to deal with the situation.  At his limit, Chloe resorted to pleading, “Please, Aya?”

 

Chloe looked almost desperate, like an animal in a trap, and Aya hated seeing him like this.  It was so unlike his friend, and he had no wish to cause him any more stress than he was obviously already under.  He would have to trust that Chloe knew what was best for himself right now. Aya hated that it had come to this though.

 

“Two days, Chloe, and when you get back…” Aya left the statement unfinished.  Chloe would know what it meant.  This had to be dealt with.  Aya knew better than any of them just how bad running away could make things and he was determined to protect his new team from his old mistakes.

 

Chloe nodded.  He knew Aya wanted to help and some part of him wanted to reach out for that help but, for now, he needed distance and time.  He would have something to tell his friend by the time he returned, he just wondered if Aya would want to hear whatever it might turn out to be.  Chloe grabbed his bag and walked out the door without a backward glance.  As he sat down in the car, Chloe heard a crackle and crunch in his pocket and realized that he still had Free’s fortune cookie with him. 

 

By the time Chloe had driven halfway to his destination, the lure of the fortune cookie had proved greater than his resolve to ignore it.  He pulled off the road, lowered the window and, in the light of the car’s overhead lamp, Chloe opened the small package.  The cookie had broken into tiny pieces, probably during his encounter with Ken, and what damage that didn’t do, sitting in the car certainly had.  Chloe put a few of the larger pieces into his mouth, suddenly feeling the hunger from going without eating earlier, and tossed the crumbs to the ground outside the car.  The paper rolled inside was small and the red ink printed on the tiny slip of paper was difficult to see by the car’s small dome light, but he eventually managed to read the fortune.  “There will be many surprises, unexpected gains are likely.”


	2. Chapter 2

With the mission the evening before having run well into the early morning hours, Chloe arrived at his destination just as the sun was coming up.  Pleading exhaustion, he was able to avoid any potential questions about his sudden and unexpected arrival and made straight for his room and some much needed sleep. 

 

If Chloe had imagined that his sleep might be more restful here with his problems far away, however, he soon learned otherwise.  After only a few hours of fitful slumber, he awoke both drenched in sweat and sporting a painful erection.  The lingering images from his overly vivid dreams featured Ken, naked in the laundry room, and the memory of having kissed him. 

 

As it turned out, Ken was unbelievably beautiful underneath all the baggy clothes that he habitually wore.  Clothing was one of the many things Chloe enjoyed teasing his teammate about.  Ken would always dismiss the criticism by saying that his clothes were comfortable and practical and wondering why anyone would care if he wasn’t as fashionable as the rest of their stylish little group. 

 

It then occurred to Chloe that Ken seemed accustomed to being overlooked around the others.  It wasn’t that he didn’t get along with the other men and the two boys; on the contrary, in many ways he blended in better than any of them.  Chloe realized, however, that, unlike most of their group, Ken sought companionship outside of the shop regularly, and when he was at home, tended toward activities that could be done alone if need be: cooking, working out, playing video games. 

 

It had to be difficult living in Aya’s shadow.  The redhead didn’t ask for the attention, hated it in fact, but his exotic looks always caught people’s eyes first.  Ken showed no signs of jealousy though.  He was completely devoted to his friendship with Aya.  Chloe wasn’t so sure he could have reacted the same way if he had ever taken a back seat to Aya in terms of attention.  The fact of the matter was, Chloe was strikingly attractive and charismatic, and he knew it.  Even well aware of that, he and Aya had still experienced a few bumps along the way before they eased into the comfortable friendship that they enjoyed now. 

 

After a quick glance at the bedside alarm clock to check the time, Chloe sank back into his luxurious mattress and pillow and tried to get back to sleep.  The images of Ken burned into his mind, however, simply would not stop haunting him.  Putting on his robe, Chloe wandered off for a cold shower, and tried to think of mundane activities to fill his day and occupy his brain.

 

*****

 

For two full days, Aya heard nothing from Chloe - not so much as a phone call to say that he’d arrived.  Whatever had happened after Chloe had left his room, Aya thought, it had shocked Chloe out of all his usual patterns, and Aya was worried.  Ken, too, was acting strangely.  He was still working in the shop and engaging in all of his normal day to day activities, but he was quiet.  He was too quiet.  Ken would be off this afternoon and Chloe was due home as well.  Maybe it was time to corner one or both of them and find out what was really going on. 

 

An idea occurred to Aya and he looked over to catch Free’s eye.  As if understanding what Aya wanted, Free nodded and walked outside to ‘re-arrange’ some of the displays.  A few moments later, Aya joined him.  “Spill it.  You must have some idea what’s going on, and if we get a mission any time soon it’s going to be a complete disaster.”

 

“You aren’t really concerned about missions, Aya, but you are correct to be worried about your friends.”

 

Embarrassed at having been evasive about his true feelings, Aya stammered slightly.  “I-I am worried about a mission.”  Free’s eyes, always too sharp, narrowed.  “Not about a mission failing,” Aya conceded, “but about one of them getting hurt because they are so distracted right now.  Can’t you tell me anything that will help?”

 

Having received what was apparently considered a satisfactory answer to his challenge; Free gave a small enigmatic smile and replied, “Perhaps.  Are you familiar with the plays of Shakespeare, Aya?”

 

“Shakespeare?  Yes, but I don’t understand what that…”

 

“May I suggest,” Free interrupted, “that you look over ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’  You may find that to be...somewhat enlightening.”  Having delivered his cryptic message, Free turned and walked back inside the shop.

 

Aya had more than a passing familiarity with the play in question, but he wasn’t sure which of the many subplots to the story was supposed to be relevant to the men’s current situation.  Deciding that re-reading the play was as good a place to start as any, Aya took off his apron, told the others he would be right back, and went to his room to search for the book. 

 

In the course of his search, he heard the chiming of the alarm which announced the entrance of someone to the living areas of the building.  As all the others were still in the shop working, Aya poked his head out the door of his room to see who it might be.  What he saw was Chloe, still as pale as he had been when he left but now with dark circles under his eyes, walking in the direction of his room and seeming to take no notice of Aya’s presence.

 

“Chloe,” Aya said softly.

 

Chloe jumped a little at the sound of Aya’s voice, proof that he had, in fact, not really noticed Aya.  “Sorry, Aya, I didn’t see you there.  Did you need something?”

 

Aya walked over to his friend and pried the small overnight bag from his hand.  “Let me get that for you.  You look as though you’re ready to fall down.  How on earth did you manage to drive back here in this condition?”

 

“I promised I would be back today and here I am.  I’ll be fine after I get a few hours sleep.”

 

Aya followed Chloe to his room and watched as the man collapsed onto his bed.  The room was stuffy after being shut up for two days and the weather was pleasant outside, so Aya put Chloe’s bag next to the door and went to open the window.  “Is there anything you’d like me to get for you?”

 

“No, thank you, Aya, I really do just need some sleep and I’ll be fine,” Chloe lied easily.  Closing his eyes he willed himself to fall asleep or at least seem that way.  He had no wish to have any kind of discussion with Fujimiya while he was in this state.

 

Turning from the now open window, Aya watched as Chloe pretended to sleep and decided to put off their promised discussion for the time being.  He could always start with Ken, he reasoned, and Chloe couldn’t sleep forever.  Aya returned to his room, but left Chloe’s door slightly ajar; it would both help with a cross breeze and if the cause of his friend’s sleeplessness was some form of night terror, Aya might be able to hear for himself the answer to his questions before he returned to work.

 

Back inside his own room, Aya scanned his bookshelves until he finally found his well-worn volume of Shakespeare.  With book in hand and the house peacefully quiet, Aya was on his way to his door when he heard the door chime once again.  A near collision in the hallway with Ken answered any question he had as to the identity of the new arrival.

 

“Oops, sorry, Aya,” Ken apologized as he ducked around his teammate and continued on in the direction of his own room.

 

Not wanting to wake Chloe, Aya followed Ken instead of calling out to him to wait.  Surprised to see that he had been followed, Ken had to stop quickly to avoid closing the door in Aya’s face.

 

“If you have a minute, Ken, I’d like to talk to you.”

 

Aya wanted to talk.  This couldn’t be anything good, Ken thought, and shifted his eyes away while thinking up excuses.  “Umm, I’m kinda busy right now, Aya.  I just got off work and I had some stuff I wanted to do, you know?  Can it wait until later?”

 

“I don’t think that it can, Ken.  I’ve been meaning to talk with you for a few days, and since the house is nearly empty right now, I think this is a good time to do it.”

 

“What do you mean, nearly empty?  Everyone but us is at the shop, right?”

 

“No, Chloe is back, but he’s asleep in his room.  We have privacy if that’s what you’re worried about.”

 

“Chloe...is back,” Ken said slowly.  “That’s...great.  Everyone can go back to...working normal shifts again.  Speaking of which, you really need to get back.  Free’s down there all by himself right now, you know?”

 

“Yuki and Michel are there with him, and I don’t honestly think a sudden rush of customers is likely in the next ten minutes,” Aya asserted as he helped himself to a seat at the foot of Ken’s bed.

 

“But…”  Ken spotted his running shoes out of the corner of his eye and latched onto them like a starving man to food.  “I was going to go for a run, Aya.”  He moved quickly around the room gathering shorts, shirt, and a pair of socks.  “If I don’t go now, I won’t be back in time to shower before dinner.”

 

“Then unless you plan on changing in front of me, Hidaka, you’d best start talking now and make it quick, hadn’t you?”  Fixing Ken with a steely eyed stare, Aya quickly asked, “What happened between you and Chloe before he took off out of here?”  In truth, Aya wasn’t sure that anything had happened, but he knew Chloe had gone looking for the man and ten minutes later was rushing out like he’d seen a ghost.  Nothing else made sense.

 

Ken tried to meet Aya’s gaze for a moment before his shoulders slumped and he sat heavily on the bed.  When Aya got THAT look on his face, there was no dissuading him.

 

“You heard me, I yelled at him,” Ken replied keeping his eyes firmly fixed down toward his feet.

 

“No, I mean after that.  I know that he went looking for you after I told him that you were in the laundry room.  What happened when he got there?”

 

Ken swallowed.  What could he possibly say to explain his actions?  The guilt had been eating away at him for two days, and now Chloe was home.  He could try to explain to Aya, he could try to apologize to Chloe, but he couldn’t comprehend what he’d done or why yet, let alone forgive himself.

 

“I...screwed up,” Ken finally said.  “I did something dumb, like I always do, and I upset him...I think.  I don’t really know, Aya, and I’d really rather not talk about it.”

 

“You think you upset him?  You don’t know?  Ken, I don’t know what happened and I won’t unless one of you tells me, but without knowing I can’t help you either.”

 

“Let me think about it for a while, okay, Aya?  I’m not trying to cause trouble, really I’m not.  I just...maybe things will just blow over and everything will be okay tomorrow.”

 

Aya could tell that Ken didn’t believe a word of the last part of his statement, but he could see the pain clearly enough in his teammate’s eyes.

 

“Is it really so hard to simply tell me what happened?”

 

“It’s...embarrassing, Aya.  I...I just want it to go away.”

 

“I’ve seen how unlike yourself you’ve been the last two days and I’ve seen what Chloe looks like now.  It’s not going to just go away, Ken.  I’m sorry to have to push you like this, but I’m really worried about both of you.  Whatever you tell me won’t go any further, I promise, but we need to finish this talk tonight.  Think about things while you run, work it out in your head however you have to, but be ready for this conversation when you get back.”

 

“Okay, Aya,” Ken responded sheepishly.

 

“I’m going to head back to the shop now.  Remember to set the house alarm when you go, since Chloe is probably out cold by now.”

 

As Aya was passing through the doorway, Ken called out to his friend, “Aya, wait.”  When Aya stopped and turned, Ken continued, “I will, think about things I mean, and, thanks for trying to help.  You’re the nearest thing to a brother that I have left in the world.  If I can’t talk to you…”  He left the statement unfinished, both of them recognizing the depth of their bond over their years together and wondering why they never appreciated it more. 

 

Aya felt sadness creep over him at the weight of the loss of their teammates and lovers.  Youji was the big brother figure that Ken would really have been able to talk to, and Omi...that pain would linger with Ken for years.  Aya knew that from personal experience, since he couldn’t see himself ever really getting over the loss of Youji in his own life.  Suddenly unable to talk, Aya simply nodded his head and closed the door behind him as he returned to the shop.

 

Ken changed quickly.  He hadn’t planned on a run when he had first come back to his room, but now it seemed like a good idea and he didn’t really want to have lied to Aya.  In his mind, Ken had gone over and over the events of two days ago, trying to figure out what to do next.  He felt so incredibly guilty about what he had done.  Sure, Chloe was always teasing and baiting him, but he’d hit him and then kissed him.  Chloe had looked almost frightened when he had him up against the wall.  Had he thought he was about to be raped or something?  Ken shook his head.  Every time he thought back over the encounter, the scene seemed worse and worse. 

 

Despite his promise to Aya, by the time Ken reached the outside door, he was so distracted by his guilty thoughts that he forgot all about the security system and just began to run.  It was a good run.  Why was it that the repetitive motion of running and the rush of endorphins that followed always seemed able to make the stresses of the day ease away?  Ken wasn’t sure how he would have coped the last two days without this release.  He had always been an active person, but he had doubled his usual efforts in an attempt to hang onto his sanity and avoid the suffocating guilt he was feeling.  There had to be some way to explain things, some way to make Chloe forgive him.  If he couldn’t figure out an answer, surely Aya could.  Aya was a good friend to both of them and was level headed.  Ken resolved to tell Aya exactly what happened when he got back, and trusted that somehow everything would be okay. 

 

Feeling more at peace about things than he had since the night of the last mission, Ken cut his run short and headed for home.  As he came into view of the door, something began to nag at his memory.  The door?  What was it?  Ken approached the entrance and heard a sound from the open window above that drew his attention.  Looking back down to the door, Ken realized that he had forgotten to set the alarm on his way out.  “Oh crap!  Aya’s going to kill me if he finds out.”  As he opened the door and stepped inside, Ken heard a deep voiced moan.  “Shit,” he swore softly, “if someone got into the house…”  After a quick scan of the area, Ken listened for the sound and heard a pained groan coming from the area of the bedrooms.  Fearing possible intruders, he moved quickly but quietly down the hall until a loud cry carried through the air from the direction of Chloe’s open bedroom door.  “Ken!” he heard Chloe’s voice call out.  Adrenaline surging at the thought of a teammate in trouble, Ken took off at a full run, crashing through the door heedless of his own safety just in time to see a half clothed Chloe, his hand pumping his cock furiously, climaxing on the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

_One hour earlier:_

 

Despite the earlier pretense when Aya was in his room, Chloe was truly exhausted and had very nearly fallen off to sleep until he heard the sound of Aya’s and Ken’s voices coming from just beyond his door.  Still in a half dreamlike fog, Chloe remained motionless on the bed for a few more seconds until awareness of the situation hit him fully; Aya and Ken were talking. 

 

Now instantly awake, Chloe crept to the door and tried to listen to the conversation without having to leave the safety of his room.  It was difficult to make out exactly what the two men were saying, but he could tell that Aya was pumping the other man for information and that Ken was putting him off. 

 

Chloe took a step back and leaned against the wall, confused.  What little he was hearing didn’t make any sense to him.  Why should Ken be protecting him?  Chloe had felt certain that while he’d been gone, Ken would have complained long and loudly about his behavior, demanding that one or the other of them be reassigned.  After all the sexual barbs he’d so carelessly flung, to then return a kiss that Ken couldn’t possibly have meant...  Ken was angry with him and rightly so, Chloe thought.  Ken had lashed back at him using the one thing that Chloe had teased him with most, and Chloe had responded.  He had touched Ken back, wanting the kiss to deepen.  That was the moment that Ken had turned away, so it seemed obviously unwelcome. 

 

The sound of Aya’s voice was getting louder so Chloe retreated to the bed and once again feigned sleep.  Even from the bed, he could hear Aya ask Ken to set the alarm when he left.  That meant that soon they would both be gone.  Good, Chloe thought.  In the renewed silence of the house, he willed his tense muscles to relax and sought the sleep he needed.

 

*****

 

Aya closed the large book just as Free finished counting out the cash register.  “So you think that we should try to get the two of them together to solve this...strife between them?”

 

“I think, Aya, that they may already be working in that direction.  As they are both inclined to be somewhat, shall we say, difficult, however, they may need a little assistance in that department.”

 

“Why, Free, I never pegged you of all people for playing Cupid,” Aya retorted, a hint of teasing in his voice.

 

“The fact of their relationship is already established.  It is the nature of that relationship which is still in flux.  As Chloe and Ken’s friend and teammate, I have a vested interest in seeing them both happy.  Is that not true of you as well?  Would you be comfortable with such an arrangement between them?”  Free asked as he pulled Aya’s book across the counter and leafed idly through the heavy volume’s pages.

 

Ouch, Aya thought.  How was it that Free always knew how to cut to the heart of things when you least wanted him too?  “Of course I want to see them happy; seeing them as they are now...it’s terrible.  What you are really asking me, though, is will I be jealous?”

 

“Yes,” Free replied quietly and looked away from the book to meet Aya’s eyes.

 

“My...history has nothing to do with it.  I do want to see Ken and Chloe happy, and if this will make them happy then I support it.  Any hesitation I have is simply because they are so very different, and because of the pain in Ken’s past.”

 

“Neither of you speaks about that time very often, but I gather that things with your old team did not end well,” Free observed.

 

“No, they didn’t, for either of us.  My situation, though, I think may have been easier to come to terms with than Ken’s; and though he shows a brave face, I’m honestly not sure how he’s really coping.  It’s not his fault.  I’ve never been the person in the group that anyone would confide in, but now I’m all he has.  I keep asking myself how Youji would have handled things; what could I do to make things better?”

 

“I will not pry by asking what these difficulties are, but I think that you can help him by encouraging him to talk.  You do not have to be a good speaker to be a good listener, Aya.  He trusts you.  Do not underestimate the value of that in his life right now.”

 

“So you…” Aya stopped in mid sentence as Ken ran past the shop.  “He’s back early.  I didn’t expect him for another half hour at least.”

 

“Go,” Free urged, giving Aya a nudge and handing over his book.  “I will finish here and join you in a few minutes.”

 

Aya removed his apron and put it on the hook before leaving the shop. 

 

*****

 

The dream that woke Chloe that afternoon was the same that had plagued him for days.  Up to this point, he had avoided indulging in anything other than a punitive, cold shower afterward for fear of encouraging the fantasies.  Now though, after days of losing the battle to alter his thoughts as well as losing sleep, Chloe’s fatigue addled brain surrendered the fight and he gave in to his lustful urges. 

 

Chloe thumbed opened his trousers and released his straining erection.  Not wanting to ruin his silk shirt, he unbuttoned it and let the fabric fall to his sides before pushing his pants down to his knees.  So hard already, now that he’d surrendered to his desires, the actual act didn’t take long.  Images of Ken standing naked before him played freely in his mind.  It was all too easy to imagine that it was Ken’s strong hand now reaching down to touch Chloe, and not his own.  When the first groan escaped his lips, Chloe was suddenly grateful that he knew the house was empty.  After days of pointless self denial, touching himself felt so incredibly good that there was no way he would be able to keep entirely silent. 

 

As he reached the pinnacle of his climax, Chloe had a vision of what Ken’s face might look like if he too were here with him, and he called his name.  Chloe barely heard the sound of his own voice calling for the man he wished to share this moment with since his vision and hearing had gone fuzzy at the pinnacle of his ecstasy, but he felt his mouth and throat shape the name that passed over dry lips. 

 

As he came back to himself, Chloe felt a cool breeze touch his skin, and the droplets of moisture on his stomach heightened the shiver over his body.  Opening his eyes he saw that the ‘breeze’ had been caused by the rapid opening of the door, and that Ken was now standing at the foot of his bed.  Each man out of breath and frozen in the moment, they watched each other, open-mouthed and wordless, for a few seconds until the sound of Aya’s voice reverberated down the hall, shattering the stillness.  “Ken?  Why did you leave the door standing open?”

 

Chloe watched as Ken ran back out the door and slammed it shut behind him.  The spell well and truly broken, Chloe sat up and reached over to grab a handful of tissues.  It’s time, he thought, one way or another.  After quickly cleaning himself off, Chloe pulled up and fastened his pants and went to open the door.  He wondered in the second before he opened the door if condemned prisoners felt this sort of strange serenity before their lives were ended, or if it was just a pleasant side effect of the incredible orgasm he’d had.  Either way, Chloe was grateful for the feeling, and hoped it would last for a few more minutes.

 

*****

 

Ken jumped out into the hallway and shut Chloe’s door just as Aya came into view.  For a moment the two men simply stood looking at one another.

“Ken,” Aya finally spoke.  “Explain.”

 

At that moment, Ken would have willingly and eagerly complied with any request for information, but he couldn’t quite fathom in his current state what it was that Aya wanted to know.

 

“The door,” Aya added as he walked over to stand face to face with his teammate.

 

“It was, ah, open, well, a few inches, and Chloe was, ah…” Ken stammered and panicked as his face turned bright red.

 

“The front door?” Aya asked, not quite following Ken’s ramble.

 

“No, Chloe’s door, uh, I mean I left the, that is the door was…oh hell.”  Ken’s face fell and his shoulders slumped as he leaned back against the door jam.

 

“Let’s try this again, Ken.  Is Chloe awake right now?”

 

“Umm, maybe?”

 

“Right.  Step aside, Ken, I’m going to open the door and check on him.”

 

“No, Aya, don’t!  That’s not really a good idea right now.”

 

“I beg your…”

 

Aya was interrupted by the opening of the door and the appearance of the man in question.

“Can I help you, Aya?”  Chloe asked, his face the picture of perfect innocence.

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact you can.  Would you care to explain why Ken was just…”

 

“No, actually, I really would rather not,” Chloe interrupted Aya to answer.

 

Stunned at the response, Aya took a moment to look at the two men in front of him.  Out of breath and face flushed a deeper shade than called for by his recent exercise, Ken was leaning against the door frame and staring intently at his shoes.  Chloe was also somewhat out of breath and looked disheveled with his shirt unbuttoned and sweat glistening on his forehead and torso.

 

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted the trio that their three companions had finished in the shop and were now joining them at home.

 

“Free,” Aya called out over his shoulder, “would you mind joining me for a moment?”

 

With the arrival of Free and his penetrating gaze, some of the bluster seemed to go out of Chloe and he too could no longer meet anyone’s eyes.

 

“I have taken the liberty,” Free began, “of sending Yuki and Michel down the road to fetch some dinner for us.  That, my dear friends, means that we have approximately 20-25 minutes for you to talk without the children present.”

 

“Together, or separately, do you think?”  Aya asked Free.

 

“Separately, I think, unless you gentlemen are feeling cooperative?”  Free answered Aya and then addressed Chloe and Ken, watching them for a reaction.

 

Chloe’s response was to step back and motion with a sweeping wave of his hand for Free to enter his room.  With a nod to Aya and a glance in Ken’s direction, Chloe waited for Free to cross the threshold and then shut the door behind them. 

 

His eagerness to finally have some answers tempered with sensitivity for his friend’s obvious distress, Aya touched Ken lightly on the shoulder to get his attention.  “Ken, shall we go to your room?”

 

“Yeah, I guess so.”

 

As they walked toward Ken’s room, Aya thought back fondly on Youji and all the times he had seen his lover engaged in conversation with Ken or Omi.  Youji had a talent for being able to put anyone at ease; from his friends to their targets.  No one could resist the Kudou charm, not even Fujimiya Aya.

 

“Ken, do you want me to get you a beer or something?”  Aya asked, remembering how Youji sometimes used alcohol to help relax after a stressful day.

 

“No, thanks anyway, Aya, but it’s really not a great idea after running, and I just want to get this over with.  I think I have a bottle of water in here already, and that’s all I need for now.”

 

Taking a seat on the bed, Aya waited while Ken grabbed his water and took a long drink.  Before Aya could begin to try to question him, Ken started to talk.

 

“I was cleaning up my claws after my shower.  You know, I got pretty messy on the last mission, but I didn’t remember to take a change of clothes with me when I’d stormed off earlier, so I’d just worn a towel out of the bathroom.  Then I figured that I ought to at least soak some of the blood out before taking the time to change, so that I didn’t have a worse mess later and that’s when Chloe barged into the laundry room.  I had been standing by the utility sink and so when he opened it, he bumped me with the door.  I fell forward and…I don’t know, I guess I caught my hand in the folds somehow and lost my towel and I...got mad.  I don’t know why I did it.  He was looking at me, staring at me, and I just freaked out.  I charged at him and pushed him into the wall.  I had him by the neck and then he was trying to apologize, I think, and then I...I...I kissed him.”

 

Ken stopped and looked over at Aya expecting to see anger, astonishment, disgust, or some kind of judgment written on his face, but nothing showed in Aya’s expression except patient curiosity.

 

“You’re doing fine, Ken.  Take a drink, sit down, and tell me what happened next.”

 

Whatever Ken had expected Aya to say, that most definitely was not it.  However, he did as Aya suggested and when the bottle was empty, recapped it and placed it on the floor.

 

“At some point, Chloe moved, put his hands on my hips.  I just remember feeling that I was...you know...kinda getting...excited, and that Chloe must have been able to feel that.  I pushed away from him and turned around and grabbed my towel.  I’m sure that I apologized, Aya, really I know that I did.  After that, he turned and left the room and I haven’t seen him again until today.”

 

“So what happened today?”

 

“Well that’s...umm, I’m not sure that I should really say anything about that.”

 

“Ken, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was important.  Talk.”

 

“It’s my own fault, really, all of it.  I...forgot to set the alarm.  I’m sorry, Aya.  You told me, and I completely spaced out and forgot to do it.  When I got back from my run I saw the door and it hit me that I’d forgotten the alarm just as I heard a strange sound coming from one of the windows.  I rushed in and went to see what it was, because I was afraid that maybe someone had gotten into the house, you know.  As I was checking the common rooms, I heard Chloe call out my name from inside his bedroom, and I raced in thinking that he needed help.”  Ken stopped his narrative and returned his gaze to his shoelaces, which had suddenly become fascinating.

 

“And?  Did he need help?”  Aya asked.

 

“Umm, no, he didn’t,” Ken said quietly.

 

“Then why did he call your name?” 

 

Ken shrugged unhelpfully and Aya resisted the temptation to grit his teeth.  “Ken, what was Chloe doing?”

 

“He was...ah…” The crimson hue of Ken’s face coupled with the memory of Chloe’s appearance filled in the blanks for Aya and he thought he had a pretty clear picture of what had happened.

 

“He was masturbating,” Aya said flatly.

 

“Aya!”  Ken couldn’t believe that Aya had spoken so matter-of-factly. 

 

“Well, wasn’t he?”

 

“Well, yeah, but geez, do you have to just say it like that?”

 

“So, are you saying that this bothered you?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Does it bother you that he’s attracted to you?”

 

“What?  No!  He’s not.  He hates me, remember?  And even if he didn’t actually hate me, he wouldn’t think of me like that now, not after what I did.  There has to be another reason that he said my name.  Maybe he heard me come into the house or something, I don’t know.  He loathes me, Aya.  He couldn’t want to...not with me!”

 

“Alright, slow down, Ken.  Let’s think about this for a minute.  You kissed him; was he kissing you back?”

 

“He looked terrified, Aya.  He had just tried to apologize and I...why would he kiss me back?”

 

“Did he ever return the kiss, participate in it?”

 

“He...I don’t know, maybe.  It all happened so fast, and I was so pissed off.”

 

“Alright, you said that when you were kissing him, he put his hands on your hips.  Was he just touching you, was he pushing you away, or was he pulling you closer?”

 

“He was…”  Ken thought back, and Aya watched as he struggled with the memory.

 

“Ken, at some point after Chloe touched you, you said that you noticed that you were aroused.  Did you move up against him, or did he pull you in?”

 

“He might have pulled me closer, but I’m just not sure.  I just remember thinking that he could feel…”

 

“What, that you were aroused?  If you’re attracted to him, Ken that’s perfectly normal.  Was he hard, too?”

 

Ken was sporting a blank look and a slack jaw that suggested to Aya that he just might be on the right track with this.  At the very least he’d managed to slow down the nonstop guilt and had Ken considering alternatives.  Chloe looked bad, that was true, but his appearance just didn’t strike Aya as resembling the sort of traumatized victim that Ken was imagining.  He looked stunned, hurt, a little hopeless, but he certainly didn’t seem to be afraid or angry.  Aya silently hoped that Free was making some progress with their other friend.  Seeing the pair of them like this was hard to take, especially if there was no good reason for it.

 

“He might have been,” Ken finally answered.

 

“Good.  One more question, and then I’ll let you get to the shower before dinner gets here.  In all the years that you’ve been masturbating…”

 

“Aya!”  Ken interrupted.

 

“In all the years that you’ve been…” Aya flailed for a moment, looking for a roundabout way to ask the question since it bothered Ken so much to be direct.  “…touching yourself,” Aya tried again.

 

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill me?”  Ken moaned as he dropped his head into his hands.

 

Aya sighed at his failure and pressed on with his point.  “Have you ever, for any reason, called out the name of a person that you weren’t attracted to?”

 

Ken thought honestly about the question for a minute, and finally had to admit, “No, I’ve never said the name of anyone that I wasn’t...in love with.”

 

Aya recognized the importance of that admission; Ken’s answer responding to a deeper question than the one Aya had asked.  He rose from the bed and gently squeezed Ken’s shoulder.  “Get a shower, Ken, and stop worrying about it so much.  I think the only question you may still need to answer is whether or not you’re capable of returning Chloe’s feelings.”

 

“Do you really think that he, you know, feels that way about me?”

 

“I don’t honestly know, Ken, but I also can’t think of any other reason why he would look so run over right now.  Give it some thought, and maybe after dinner, if you feel up to it, you two can sit down and talk this out.”

 

Ken nodded distractedly, but never saw or heard Aya leave the room.  Lost deep inside his own thoughts, Ken finally stood up, grabbed a towel and a change of clothes, and made his way to the bathroom.

 

*****

 

Free stood to the side as Chloe closed the door to the room and watched as the careless bluster his friend affected dissipated like the air from a slowly deflating balloon.  “A remarkable performance you have managed to put on for the other two.” 

 

“Aya has enough on his plate right now without worrying about me, and there was no need to keep it up once we were alone.  You can always see right through me anyway,” Chloe observed.

 

Free acknowledged his acceptance of the statement with a tiny nod and slow blink and he gestured to the two chairs in Chloe’s room.  “Shall we?”

 

“We’d better; if I don’t sit down, I’ll fall down.  Where should I start?”

 

“Anywhere you like, my friend.  I am here to listen.”

 

“I’m not used to having someone like him around.  He’s just so different from me.  Aya’s different, too, I suppose; so quiet most of the time, not as social as I am, but we at least had some common interests.  With Ken, I don’t have anything to say.  I don’t know how to interact with him, so I tease him.  I never meant for it to be malicious, but it’s obvious to me that I’ve taken it way too far.  Aya said something to me after the mission two days ago.  He said that I wouldn’t have acted that way if someone else had been my backup, and I realized that he was right.  It bothered me, so I went to find him.  I wanted to…”  His narrative began to falter as if he wasn’t sure himself what he wanted to say.

 

“Apologize?”  Free inferred.

 

“Well, not really, but that was the general idea,” Chloe quipped back.

 

The admission garnered a small smile from Free, Chloe’s pride being somewhat notorious.  If Chloe’s sense of humor was still intact, things weren’t so bad after all.

 

“At any rate,” Chloe continued, “when I found him, Ken was in the laundry room cleaning up his baghnakhs in the utility sink.  I hit him with the door by accident and pushed him forward over the sink.  When he stood back up, well, the towel he was wearing didn’t come with him.  I stood there like a complete idiot and just stared at him.  I couldn’t help it, my baser half took over and tried to sneak a peek at him, and I got caught.  Oh, he was livid!  I could see it in his eyes.  After everything that had happened that evening, everything I said to him, that was just the last straw, and he came at me.  Before I knew what had hit me, he had me by the throat up against the wall.  I knew he was strong, Free, but damn!  I tried to apologize, but it just came out as a wheeze.  I think he saw what I was saying – he was staring at my face at any rate - and then he kissed me.  I didn’t expect it, but...it was good.  It wasn’t soft or romantic or fluffy.  It was feral, and brutal, and, oh but it felt good.  He felt good.  Under all the baggy clothes and smiles, he’s all muscle and passion and just beautiful.  I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I wanted it; I wanted him; and I started to kiss him back.  I moved and grabbed his hips to bring him closer and grind against him.  He must have realized what it was he was doing at that point, and moved away as though he was touching acid.  He grabbed his towel, and turned around and wouldn’t look at me.  He was so embarrassed at what we’d done.  He’d been as hard as I was, but his voice...he sounded so horrified.  It was just something that came out of his anger and got carried away, and by responding I’d just made things worse.  I couldn’t stand the despair in his voice, so I left.  I packed a bag and left the house and didn’t come back until today.  I can’t get him out of my mind, Free.  It’s like an obsession.  Every time I close my eyes, I see him.  I know he doesn’t want this, he’s probably not even bi-sexual, but I can’t figure out how to stop thinking about him, or how to put things right.  Then today after I got back, he caught me in here screaming his name to the heavens as choirs of angels were singing, and that just has to have been the last straw.”

 

“You mean to say that he walked in while you were…”

 

“Oh yeah, pants down, shirt half off and coming hard all over myself; it couldn’t have been any more embarrassing for either of us.  Well, come to think of it, it could have been.  At least there were no toys involved,” Chloe joked.

 

Free shook his head.  Chloe was deflecting again and it was time to get him back on track.  “And then?  Did Ken say or do anything?”

 

“Aya came home just then and Ken heard his voice.  He scurried out the door and shut it behind him.  You pretty much know about everything after that.”

 

“I see.  So he protected your privacy and said nothing to Aya.”

 

“Of course not, why would he admit to having been humiliated like that?”

 

“You don’t think that perhaps he could have been doing it for your benefit?”

 

“I suppose that it’s possible, but I think it’s more likely some sort of honorable streak, not wanting to rock the boat or upset Aya.”

 

“You have been gone for two days, you have seen nothing of Ken, and yet you are prepared to make assumptions about his feelings.  You are an intelligent man, Chloe, so I shall attribute this foolishness to your exhaustion.  However, I feel that I should at least share with you my impressions of your crush for the last few days.  He has seemed neither angry nor offended.  He has, however, been quiet and isolated.  My general impression of him is that he is acting as though he feels guilty or embarrassed about something.  Now,” he said rising to his feet, “get some sleep.  I’ll reheat your dinner and send it up in an hour or so, after you’ve had a chance to rest.”

 

Chloe nodded and dragged himself to the bed.  As Free exited the room, he looked back and saw that Chloe was already asleep, only moments after his head had hit the pillow.

 

“Sleep well,” Free whispered hopefully as he closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe awoke to the sound of someone knocking lightly at his bedroom door.  “Come in,” he called out while he tried to pry open his tired eyes and find the energy to sit up. 

 

The smell of food teased at his nose and Chloe remembered that Free had mentioned something about saving his dinner until after he had had a chance to sleep.  A wise choice, the nap had been good.  Chloe still felt tired, but not the drop dead exhausted that he had felt this afternoon, and he found that his thoughts seemed much clearer.

 

“Whatever it is, Free, it smells delicious,” Chloe murmured half into the pillow.

 

“Umm, it isn’t Free, Chloe, it’s me,” Ken stated as he moved to place the tray on the bed within Chloe’s easy reach.

 

At the sound of Ken’s voice, Chloe’s eyes popped open and he immediately turned his head to look at his unexpected guest.  In the dim light from the hallway, Chloe could see that although Ken had obviously showered and changed from his run, his hair didn’t appear to be damp.  A glance to the side confirmed that the sky outside his windows was dark.  “How long did I sleep?”  Chloe asked.

 

“It’s around 9:30 now, so, a couple of hours, I guess.”

 

“Free said that he’d wake me in an hour,” Chloe grumped.

 

Ken’s eyes darted to the side.  “The guys said that you really needed the sleep and the extra time wouldn’t hurt the food so...Anyhow, Free asked me to bring this up now.  Is there anything else that I can get for you?”

 

“Would you mind terribly turning on the light for me?”  Chloe asked.

 

“Sure, watch your eyes, okay?”  Ken reached over and turned the overhead light on from the switch near the door.  As the light washed across the room, Ken could see what it was that had prompted Free to let Chloe continue to sleep.  He stared with horror at Chloe’s ashen appearance and sunken eyes and felt a fresh wave of guilt run through his mind.

 

“I must look positively revolting if the look on your face is any indicator.  I can’t recall ever having anyone look at me before in quite that way.  You’re hard on a man’s ego.  You know that, Ken Hidaka?”

 

“I’m so sorry, Chloe.  I don’t have any excuse for it.  It was wrong and if I could take it back, I would.”

 

“It’s all right, Ken, really.  It’s not that big a deal; my ego isn’t that fragile.  Besides, I’m a tad disgusted with myself as well.”  When Chloe looked over at Ken, he saw confusion written over the man’s face and continued, “And why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about the same thing here?”  Pushing himself up to a seated position on the bed, Chloe gestured to a nearby chair.  “Why don’t you sit down and tell me what it is you want to say.  I suppose this conversation is overdue anyway.”

 

“Okay...but only if you eat your dinner while I talk.  Free and Aya will kill me if that plate goes back down covered in cold food.”

 

“Deal.  Pull up a chair.”

 

Ken pulled one of the chairs over to a spot near the bed while Chloe reached for his plate, napkin, and utensils.  Balancing the plate on his lap, he began to eat his dinner and nodded to Ken, encouraging him to start.

 

“I wanted to apologize for what I did two days ago.  I had no right to attack you like that in the laundry room and seeing what it’s done to you...I feel awful.  I’m so sorry, Chloe,” Ken said earnestly.  “I drove you out of the house, and you obviously haven’t been eating or sleeping right.  I’m such a stupid screw-up, I…”

 

“Stop, Ken.  Please just stop for a minute.”  Chloe paused to set his plate aside and wipe his mouth with the napkin.  “For starters, I don’t look like this because of anything you did to me.  I brought this on myself and now I’m trying to deal with it.  I left the house because I thought it would be easier for you not to have to see me for a while.  I really did go to the laundry room that night because I needed to apologize to you, and somehow I just made things much worse.  I’ve treated you very badly the last few months, and I deserved more than just being pushed up against a wall.  I’m not angry about that, if that’s what you’re thinking.  I’m not angry at you at all.  I have no reason to be.”

 

“No reason?!  You have every reason.  I kissed you.  I shoved you into a wall and kissed you.  I have no right to touch you like that without your permission.  I can’t believe you’re sitting there so calmly.  If I were you, I’d be knocking your lights out for doing that to me.”

 

“But I did do that to you; I kissed you back, I touched you.  You didn’t do anything that bothers me, but I tried to make it something more.  Tried to force you into something that you didn’t want, and you had to pull away from me.  Your actions and reactions were the product of your anger and nothing else.  When I touched you...when I tried to pull you closer...I wasn’t thinking about what you wanted.  I was only thinking about how good it felt for me.  When you grabbed for your towel and turned around, I could see that you were upset.  I was supposed to be there apologizing for ignoring your feelings, and there I was, using you to satisfy my own desires.  To have a man stare at you the way I did, and then touch you, try to hold you,” Chloe stopped and shook his head.  “I’m bisexual, so it doesn’t disturb me, but you…”

 

“Chloe, I’m bisexual too,” Ken interrupted.  “I don’t have any sort of freaky moral or ethical problem with what we were doing.  I just thought that I had forced it on you.”

 

“I’ll admit that I was surprised, but it was a nice surprise.”  Chloe grinned for a moment before he continued.  “I’ve never seen you that way before.”

 

Ken chuckled a little before saying, “No, I don’t suppose you have, unless you have my bedroom or the bathroom wired with cameras.”

 

Chloe laughed back, realizing how it sounded.  “I guess I mean that sentence in a lot of ways.  Sure, I’ve never seen you naked before, but I’ve also never seen you be so sexy or so vulnerable.  That night changed how I think about you, in a lot of ways.  I don’t know how you feel about all of this or how you’ll choose to handle it, but I have to confess, I’ll never see you the same way again.”

 

A silence dragged on between them for a few minutes and Chloe saw Ken fidgeting awkwardly.  Ken didn’t seem the type to lie, but he also didn’t seem very comfortable with talking about their sexuality this way.  “Are you really bisexual, Ken?”  Chloe finally asked.

 

“Yeah, I am.  I know that I’ve only dated a couple of girls since I’ve – Hey, you promised to eat that, you know!”  Ken pointed out as he caught sight of Chloe’s plate sitting next to him.

 

Picking up his plate, Chloe took another mouthful and waved his fork at Ken, prompting him to continue his story.

 

“Yeah, so, I’ve only gone out once or twice since I came to England, and they were both dates with girls, but actually, the only long term relationships that I’ve ever had were both with guys.  I had one serious relationship with a girl and almost ran off with her, but I was talked into staying, and it probably was for the best.  With my history, I’d have probably gotten her killed one of these days when someone came looking for me.  At least by letting her go I saved her life, even if I broke her heart.”

 

“And the two men?” Chloe asked quietly.

 

“They broke my heart.  Turnabout is fair play, right?”  Ken tried to joke.

 

“No, it isn’t,” Chloe answered seriously.  “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“Not today.  It isn’t that I’m trying to hide anything from anyone, it’s just kinda hard to talk about.”

 

“It’s all right.  You don’t owe anyone here any explanations of your personal life, especially of times before you got here.  Maybe I shouldn’t have asked; I tend to be curious by nature and it sometimes gets me into trouble.”

 

“Don’t sweat it.  I don’t mind people knowing that I like guys.  I’m attracted to men, but I don’t have a very good track record, so I guess I’m a little shy and the memories are still pretty painful.”

 

Chloe dropped his silverware onto his plate and reached out to touch Ken’s hand.  “I’m sorry.”  Ken would not meet Chloe’s eyes when he spoke, so he moved the plate off of his lap and back onto the tray.  Swinging his legs to the side of the bed, Chloe shifted to sit on the edge and moved both hands to the sides of Ken’s face.  Forcing Ken to look him in the eye, Chloe said again, “I’m sorry.”  Once he knew that Ken had seen and understood what he was saying, Chloe dropped his hands back to his sides.  “Where do you want to go from here?”

 

Ken fidgeted in the chair and stared at Chloe’s chest rather than meeting his eyes.  “I’m not sure.  I’m sorry.  I know that’s really not fair of me to leave you hanging without an answer, but I just don’t know what to tell you.”

 

“Because you don’t _know_ what you want; or because you’re _afraid_ of what you want?”  Ken’s eyes shot back up to meet Chloe’s, who continued, “Either way it’s all right, but it would help me to know what it is that you’re feeling.”

 

“I’m not sure I can really separate those two things, Chloe.  It must be important to me or it wouldn’t hurt this badly to think about it.  At first I thought that it was only about me not wanting to hurt the team; not wanting to hurt my friends.  Now, I’m not so sure that I don’t have some deeper feelings for you.  I mean, it’s not like me to just kiss someone like that.  That’s not enough, though.  What you have to understand is that both of the men I was involved with, they weren’t just my lovers, they were also friends and teammates.”

 

“And you’re afraid that this is history repeating itself?  No wonder you reacted the way that you did.  I won’t lie and tell you that I can empathize with what you’re feeling.  I can understand it, but I’ve never been in that type of situation before.  I’ve had many lovers - both men and women - but not the kind of relationship that I think you have had.  I care about the people I have slept with.  I would even go so far as to say that I’ve felt a connection of some kind with many of them, but not the kind of love that you’ve known; not the kind that destroys you when it ends because you’ve been everything to each other.  I’m not sure that I even know how to love like that, Ken.  Maybe I’m not capable of offering that to you or anyone, if I’m really that shal…”

 

“Quit it, Chloe.  If you’re about to call yourself shallow, then you can just stop right now.  A shallow person wouldn’t have worried about my feelings to the point of looking like a nervous wreck.  If you’re shallow, what does that make me?  I’ve had a lover tell me that I’m idealistic, that I romanticize things, that I’m a dreamer who can’t deal with the way the world really is.  Is that what I am?  Am I a child for wanting to be in love with someone before I can sleep with them?  Am I the world’s biggest fool because at my age I’ve only had three lovers?  Will you laugh at my inexperience if and when we ever have sex?” 

 

“No, Ken.  I would never do that.  You’ve made your point.  I don’t feel that way about you, and it’s not fair for me to make any assumptions about what you want, or how you think of me.  Fair warning then: I’m going to be straightforward and ask you for what I’d like.  If you have a problem with that, you’ll tell me so and we’ll just go on from there.  I’ll trust you to tell me if you don’t like something or are uncomfortable with it, and you can trust me to back off if you tell me that I’m going too fast, or that you need some space.”

 

“Thank you, Chloe.  I know this is really messed up…”

 

“This isn’t messed up.  We’ll go as slowly as you need, if you think that this is what you want as well, but I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

 

“Okay.  It sounds good.”  Standing up from his chair, Ken looked over at Chloe’s still half full plate and the tray bearing the cold cup of tea.  “Guess I’d better get downstairs and face the music.  Aya’s going to be pissed as hell that I didn’t make you eat.”

 

“Well then, perhaps I should go to the kitchen with you.  I’d be willing to bet that if I tag along, not only will Aya not yell at you, but he may even reheat the tea for me.”

 

“You’re on.”  Gathering up the dishes and the tray, Ken opened the door and waited for Chloe to join him. 

 

As they passed the living room, the two men saw Yuki and Michel sprawled on the floor in front of the TV, watching some favorite program.  In the dining room, they found Free and Aya.  Aya was sipping a cup of tea and reading a book, Shakespeare from the appearance of the cover, and Free had a tarot spread covering the surface of the table. 

 

“Shall I get you some fruit instead?” Free asked without looking up from the table.

 

“How does he do that?” Ken asked Chloe.  Chloe shrugged his shoulders and turned to distract Aya so that Ken could escape with the half full plate of food before it was noticed.

 

“Oooh, Aya, that tea looks lovely,” Chloe hinted.

 

“The kettle’s on the stove, the teapot’s on the counter, and you brought your cup back with you.  Help yourself,” Aya said uncooperatively.

 

Ken giggled behind Aya’s back while Chloe pouted and stomped over to the kettle.  As Chloe waited for the water to boil, Free wandered into the kitchen and put two bowls of fruit back onto the emptied tray along with a pair of spoons.  Ken finished throwing away the now cold dinner and quickly washed up the plate, while Chloe prepared a fresh pot of tea and poured out two cups of the piping hot brew.  Newly-stocked tray now in hand, Ken and Chloe bid the others a good night, and retreated to Chloe’s room.

 

Once the pair were out of earshot, Free said to Aya, “Thank you for staying seated.”

 

An evil grin crossed Aya’s face and he replied, “The pleasure was all mine, Free.”

 

Inside Chloe’s bedroom, the two men were arguing over who had won the bet, with Chloe insisting that he did since Aya did not mention the uneaten food to Ken, and Ken insisting that without the tea, the bet belonged to him.  They sat companionably on the bed, eating the bowls of fruit and continuing their argument, until Chloe suggested, “If we choose to agree that we’ve both won some portion of the bet, we could each claim a prize from the other.”  The grin on his face should have been a warning to Ken, but Ken was either unaware or unsuspecting.  “You choose first,” Chloe offered graciously.

 

“All right, I’d like to kiss you again.”  Ken said.

 

With no hesitation, Chloe leaned over and pressed his lips to Ken’s.  This kiss was softer and gentler than the one that the two men shared days ago, but was just as enjoyable in its own way.  As difficult as the day had been for both, neither had the energy to try for something more physically demanding.  Despite the lack of frenetic passion, however, this kiss, like their first encounter, still seemed to contain a magnetic current that connected them to one another.

 

Chloe broke away from Ken by only an inch and spoke softly, “My request?”

 

“Yes,” Ken responded in a daze.

 

“Spend the night here in my bed?”

 

At that suggestion, Ken pulled away and looked at the other man.  Chloe saw the questions swimming in Ken’s head, and thought to head them off by saying, “Just to sleep, Ken.  I haven’t been able to stay asleep for days and couldn’t do any more than that if I wanted to.  I just would like to be near you, if that’s all right?”

 

Standing up, Ken walked over to the desk where they’d left the tray and retrieved the two cups of tea.  Handing one to Chloe, he raised his own to his lips and took a long drink.  After collecting their bowls and placing them back on the tray, Ken finished his cup of tea and picked up the dishes.  As he opened the door, he looked back over his shoulder and said to Chloe, “I’ll take these to the kitchen and be back after I change.”

 

Chloe risked a smile as the door closed and searched his dresser for a pair of silk pajamas.  After a quick trip to the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth, he returned to his room to change into the clothes he had laid out.  Ken joined him a few minutes later, wearing only a pair of cotton knit lounge pants.

 

“Is this all right?”  Ken asked sheepishly as he looked at Chloe’s pajamas.

 

“It’s fine.  Honestly, I don’t usually wear the tops but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable so I put it on.”

 

“It’s okay, Chloe, go ahead and take it off if you’d sleep better.  I don’t mind.”

 

Chloe turned down the bed and removed his top, placing it over the back of a chair.  “Can you get the light or shall I?”

 

“I’ve got it, go ahead and get into bed.”  After Chloe sat on the bed, Ken turned the light out and joined him on the other side of the bed.

 

There was an awkward few moments where each man tried to decide how to sleep.  Ken finally tired of all the awkwardness and, pushing Chloe onto his side, spooned up behind him.  “Is this okay?” he asked.

 

“Y-Yes, yes it is,” Chloe answered.  He hadn’t expected that level of forwardness from Ken and it had taken him by surprise, but once again, it had felt good.  “Good night, Ken,” he finally added.

 

“Sleep well, Chloe,” Ken responded.

 

And the pair drifted off into their first good night’s rest in days.


	5. Chapter 5

When Chloe woke, he noticed two things: one, he had slept through the night and felt surprisingly rested as a result; and, two, he was alone in his bed.

 

“Damn,” he cursed aloud, having hoped that some of that newly restored energy could have been channeled to more interesting pursuits.  Having no good reason to stay in bed now that he knew he was alone, Chloe indulged in a luxuriant stretch and rose to greet the day.

 

*****

 

_Two weeks later:_

 

Chloe was sulking.

 

Life at the house and shop had been peaceful for the two weeks since Ken and Chloe had finally talked, and Aya found himself wondering what could have happened to cause Chloe’s sudden and uncharacteristically frosty mood.  Ken seemed unaffected and had been nothing but cheerful since their discussion, but Chloe, after a week of his customary lightheartedness, grew increasingly introspective and today had seemed profoundly off.  Currently, the tall blond was sitting silently at the back of the store and instead of flirting with customers as usual, was staring intently at Ken.  Free and Aya had sensed their friend’s atypical mood as soon as the store opened and had elected to simply give Chloe a wide berth.  Now, however, Chloe was heading in Aya’s direction with a single minded determination in his eyes and Aya wasn’t sure whether this was good news or bad.

 

“Aya, may I take you out to lunch today?”  Chloe asked.

 

“Did I just hear you correctly?  You’re asking me to lunch?”

 

“Oh stop it, Aya.  You act as though I’ve never taken you out anywhere before.”

 

“You don’t, generally speaking, unless you want something,” Aya replied cynically.

 

“Now that’s not at all fair, Aya.  I always want something,” Chloe said with a mock wounded expression which quickly turned into a smile.

 

Aya chuckled briefly at that all too accurate self assessment.  “Fine, you win, but you’ll have to work until closing tonight if we’re going to make Free and Ken cover the time alone.  The crowd ought to thin down in a half hour or so; if you can bring yourself to do a little work, we should be able to leave by then.”

 

Chloe listened to Aya’s words with a small sniff of offense and turned to face the nearest female customer in the shop.  With an over exaggerated bow and oozing charm from every pore, he said, “Milady, what rare or exotic bloom may I help you to find upon which it would please your eye to gaze?”

 

Rolling his eyes at his friend’s dramatics, Aya returned to work.

 

*****

 

Since the lunch rush hour was long over by the time they escaped the shop, it wasn’t difficult for Chloe to find a small out of the way table at the restaurant where he took Aya.  After placing their orders and the take out orders for Free and Ken, Aya turned to Chloe and said, “So what is it?”

 

“I need your advice about Ken.”

 

“Oh no.  Leave me out of this.  I don’t want to get involved in the middle of someone else’s business.”

 

“Aya, I’m not asking you to reveal any deep dark secrets, and there’s no disagreement between us that I’m asking you to take sides on.  I’m just feeling out of my depth.  I’ve never had a relationship with a teammate before, and I feel as though I’m walking on eggshells.  Don’t misunderstand; Ken’s not doing anything wrong.  I’m the one who seems to be having the problem adapting to this.  We made a deal to ask for what we wanted and to give frank and honest answers.  I’m simply having a little trouble living up to my end of the bargain.  I want more.  I want to push things along faster than I have been.”

 

“And you think he’s not ready for that, and don’t want to hear him say no?”

 

“No, it’s more a matter of not wanting to ask him something that may be a sore topic.  The truth is that we just don’t know each other all that well, and I don’t want to inadvertently cause a problem between us.”

 

“It sounds to me as though you already know the answer to your problem.  Get to know him better.  Talk to him.  He’s a very straightforward person, Chloe.  What you see is what you get with Ken.  He doesn’t walk around with any hidden agendas.”

 

“I’ve noticed.  That’s rather refreshing in a person in our line of work, don’t you think?  It’s not that I have a problem with his personality.  On the contrary, I’m beginning to think that that may be part of the attraction.  My problem is more along the lines of never having dealt with someone like him before; I don’t know where to start.”

 

“I think I’m beginning to see the problem, Chloe, but be sure that you aren’t mistaking his openness for innocence.  He’s not a saint and he’s not a fool.  It’s true that your backgrounds and experiences are very different but that’s the challenge in any relationship, isn’t it; finding some common ground to build something that will sustain you both?  After the things he’s seen and done and lived through though, you won’t destroy him in the course of a few questions about his past or his present.”

 

“You sound like a man who speaks from experience, Aya,” Chloe teased, hoping to satisfy his curiosity about some portion of Aya’s past as well.

 

“Yes,” Aya answered wistfully.

 

If Chloe thought that Aya might elaborate on his first hand knowledge, he was disappointed.  The food came soon after, and they ate in silence while Chloe considered what to do next.  Once they finished and collected the rest of their order, Chloe paid and they returned to the shop. 

 

*****

 

After closing time, Chloe followed Ken to his bedroom and asked, “Today’s the day you usually go out for your run, isn’t it?”

 

Ken looked at Chloe curiously.  Ken was a creature of habit and had been going out for lengthy runs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, unless there was a mission or the roads were iced, for as long as he had been a part of the team.  “Yeah, why?”

 

“I was just wondering where it was that you went.”

 

“Oh, well, most of the time I like to go through the park near here.  They have really cool jogging trails and bike paths, and the route is landscaped well enough to be interesting year round.  Would you like to go too?”

 

“I’m not exactly the run in the sun type, Ken.  I’m more of a stroll in the moonlight sort of person,” Chloe quipped.

 

“I can do that too, you know,” Ken shot back with a grin.  “Look, why don’t I cut my run a little short today? I’ll come back for you and we can go over there together tonight, if you’d like?”

 

Chloe leaned forward and placed a small kiss to Ken’s lips.  “I’d like that a great deal,” he said before placing a second kiss to Ken’s jaw and a third on his neck just under his ear.

 

“Oh shit, Chloe.  If you keep that up, I’m never going to get out of here.”  Ken’s breathing was coming out in gasps as Chloe tortured his neck and started to unbutton his shirt.

 

Reaching back with his foot, Chloe gave a quick shove to Ken’s door and closed it.  “I don’t really have a problem with getting a late start on our walk this evening, do you?”  When Ken didn’t answer right away, Chloe stopped suddenly and looked him in the face.  “Do you?  You aren’t ready for this, are you?”

 

Chloe started to turn away before Ken grabbed his arm and turned him around.  “Hey, give a guy a chance, would you?  One minute you’re making my head spin and now you’re trying to leave.  Sit down for a second, would you?”

 

Chloe complied but couldn’t quite manage to keep the frown off of his face.

 

“It isn’t that it didn’t feel good, Chloe, or that I don’t want to.  There are just some things that I want to get straight with you first; things that I feel as though I should tell you...about me...before we go too much farther.    I thought that, maybe, if you wanted to, we could talk about it tonight, while we were walking.”

 

Chloe was gratified to hear the tinge of regret in Ken’s first sentence and was encouraged by the rest.  “Oh well, in that case I suppose that I can restrain my amorous advances long enough for you to escape my incredible charms,” he said sarcastically while waving his hand in a magnanimous gesture.

 

Pushing Chloe back onto the bed and pinning his arms at the wrists, Ken leaned over him and said, “I don’t know how you spout that crap with a straight face, but who ever said anything about escaping?”  With Chloe stunned into silence, Ken took the opportunity to initiate a kiss of his own and brought his lips down hard onto the other man’s face. Ken dropped on top of Chloe and deepened the kiss as he forced their bodies into closer contact.  A moan escaped Chloe’s lips as Ken’s thigh pushed against him and he rocked his own leg up into Ken’s groin.  Ken broke away from Chloe’s kiss to gasp at the jolt of desire caused by the pressure of Chloe’s thigh, and Chloe used the opportunity to attach his mouth to Ken’s neck.  The feeling of Chloe’s teeth clamping down on the side of his neck was driving Ken to distraction and he rocked his hips harder and faster into the body beneath his.  Chloe, too, was rapidly losing control, caught up in the whirlwind of passion and the surprising excitement from having Ken restrain his hands. 

 

Ken breathed out, “Close,” and heard Chloe grunt an agreement in reply.  Releasing Chloe’s wrists, Ken pushed his fingers between Chloe’s and squeezed as he thrust the last few times before they both climaxed.

 

Panting from the exertion, Ken collapsed on Chloe and filled his lungs with air.  Beneath him, Chloe kissed Ken’s face in between his own attempts to calm his breath.  “You realize, of course, that this means that my trousers are headed for the dry cleaners?”  Chloe observed.

 

“Well then, maybe now you’ll stop teasing me about my very practical, very comfortable, very washable pants, won’t you?” Ken teased back.

 

“You and I are too wise to woo peaceably,” Chloe quoted after a breathy chuckle.

 

“What’s that?” Ken asked pulling back to look Chloe in the face.

 

“It’s a line from Shakespeare.  Something that I saw Aya reading recently,” Chloe answered.

 

“From a play?” Ken asked.

 

“Yes, why?” 

 

“I think maybe I’d like you to take me to see that one, one of these days.  If you wouldn’t mind, I mean,” Ken said shyly.

 

“I would be honored to take you to a play.  I’ll have to chase Yuki off of the internet tomorrow and see if there are any productions of ‘Much Ado’ playing near here.  In the meantime,” Chloe nudged at Ken to get him to stand up, “I need a shower and you need to get a run.”

 

Ken stood up and offered Chloe a hand to lever him up from the middle of the bed where they had wound up.  “I’ll take off as soon as I change.  Get going and be ready to leave by the time I get back,” Ken warned.

 

“Yes, yes, I’m going, and I’ll be ready before you arrive.”  As he made to leave, he looked back to Ken and with one eyebrow cocked, offered, “Unless you need some help getting changed first?”

 

“Chloe.  Out,” Ken growled affectionately.

 

“Just a thought.  Have a nice run.”

 

As the door closed, Ken grabbed for his clothes, cleaned up with an old t-shirt, and dressed for his run.  He was going to abbreviate his routine, but there was no point in coming back too quickly.  He knew what Chloe was like in the bathroom so there was no point in taking less than half an hour.  He walked quickly to the park as a warm up and set his watch before beginning his first circuit.  Half an hour would be enough time to sort out in his mind what he wanted to say and still not leave him too much time to get nervous at the implications. 

 

He wondered how Chloe would take some of the things he planned to say, but figured that that was part of the point of talking.  It wasn’t really how people acted everyday that was as important as what happened when the chips were down, or so he’d heard.  Ken would be talking about some of the worst times of his life, and he wanted to see Chloe’s honest reactions.  There were no guarantees in any relationship, but that didn’t mean that you jumped in blindly either.  Ken had stopped kicking himself quite so hard about the way things had fallen apart with Omi, and over his first disastrous relationship with Kase, but he would never truly forget that pain.  Tonight he would either commit to a new lover, or he would walk away from the idea of a sexual relationship with Chloe for good.


	6. Chapter 6

Ken was once again standing in the park, but this time he wasn’t dressed for a run.  The sun was setting, and Chloe was walking by his side.  He had planned what he wanted to say in his head.  Now that it was time to actually speak though, he was finding it hard to get started.

 

“You’ve heard by now how I used to play professional football in Japan.  It had been a dream of mine for years, since I was a kid, really.  Every day after I’d made the team was like a dream come true.  I’d go to practices and the other guys would tease me because I never complained afterwards like they did about how hard the coach was working us.  I honestly loved every minute of it.  Kase was another player on my team and…”  Ken stopped for a minute and tried to work out how to continue.

 

Chloe waited patiently.  He could see that it was difficult for Ken to tell him these things, and reached over to grab his hand in silent support.

 

Ken was surprised when Chloe took his hand and worried for a moment about the wisdom of being seen holding hands in the park, but the contact felt so solid and reassuring that he didn’t pull away.

 

“Kase and football were my first loves, and there wasn’t much that I wouldn’t do for either one of them.  Kase was older than I was and very experienced.  I was so caught up in everything, so naïve, that I missed the warning signs.  One day we were playing a game and I started to get fuzzy.  I couldn’t think or act right.  We lost the game; a game we had been winning and should have won.  There were a lot of people angry afterwards and asking questions about my performance.  They assumed the worst and I was kicked out of the league for fixing the game.  As it turns out, a drink that I was given during a break in the game was laced with drugs.  I didn’t find this out until after I had been ejected from the league, but I thought if I investigated, if I could just prove my innocence, then maybe I could get back in.  Kase said he would help me.  He was the one who had given me the drink, but I believed him when he said that he didn’t know how the drugs had gotten into the water bottle.  We went to a warehouse looking for information and were attacked.  Kase was taken away and I was left for dead in a burning building.  When I got out, I was approached to become part of Weiss.  I had nothing left.  My career was over, and I thought Kase was dead, so I joined.  Two years later we were given an assignment and Kase was the secondary target.  I couldn’t believe it.  I figured there had to be some kind of mistake.  I sought him out and tried to get him away from the target.  He said that he would help me find our primary target, Koga, and he did.  He killed Koga himself and used me as the scapegoat to try to cover up his takeover of their organization.  He confessed to everything that he had done to me two years earlier and then he shot me.  He emptied his magazine clip into me - eight shots - and then left.  He hadn’t realized that I was wearing a vest, so when Weiss came after him that night, his bodyguards thought I was a ghost or something.  He pretended to apologize to lure me in.  After I approached, he pulled a gun and shot at me one more time.  I killed him.  I killed the first and only lover that I had ever had.” 

 

Ken stopped speaking for a few minutes and the pair walked on in silence.  The sky was growing darker around them, but the lights along the path were providing some light and a nearly full moon was beginning to rise in the sky.  Chloe had been looking around the area where they were walking periodically to make certain that there was no one walking near enough to them to overhear their conversation, and continued to do so now.

 

“You’re doing fine, Ken,” Chloe said as he gave Ken’s hand a brief squeeze of encouragement.  “Keep going.”

 

As difficult as it had been to talk about Kase, Ken was finding it brutally hard to speak about Omi.  He wasn’t sure if the pain had been so much greater because it was more recent, or because the betrayal had extended outside of himself to his ‘family’.  Taking a deep breath, he plunged back into the story.

 

“When I met my other lover, he called himself Tsukiyono Omi.  We found out later that his real name was Takatori Mamoru.  His family destroyed Aya’s life, murdered Youji’s partner and lover, and also ran Weiss.

 

“What?!”  Chloe asked, certain that he must have misheard something.

 

“The man we knew as Persia, the man who gave us the orders to track down the targets he called ‘black beasts’ and put an end to their days, was the brother of the man who was behind most of the horrible crimes in Japan.”

 

“That’s unbelievable.”

 

“It gets worse.  Omi had been kidnapped as a child, and the man who was thought to be his father, Takatori Reiji, never paid the ransom.  Omi blocked a lot of stuff out of his memory about that time, and some details we never learned until much later; Persia, Takatori Shuuichi, was the man who actually rescued him.  He raised him to be an assassin and recruited the rest of us to join Omi in what became Weiss.  All of us, including Persia, thought that he was Omi’s uncle, but it turns out that he was Omi’s father.  That was why Reiji left him to the kidnappers and wouldn’t pay the ransom.”

 

“God, that’s horrible,” Chloe observed.

 

“Yeah, it sucks.  I thought Omi took it all really well though; he seemed okay about it for the most part once he got over the shock of stuff.  Anyhow, one night a while after all of this happened, we were sitting around watching TV and Omi kissed me.  We’d only been friends up to that point, but I trusted him with my life and we were both alone.  It took me a few weeks to get used to the idea.  I’d never had a lover younger than me before, and while he was old enough to be legal, it still seemed a little freaky to me.  Omi’s a little like Aya, though.  Once he decided that he liked me and saw that I was attracted back, he wasn’t going to let a little thing like nerves keep him from what he wanted.”

 

“So he pursued you until you gave in?”

 

“He pounced me one day and before I knew what had hit me, I was naked and sated.  After that, it seemed a little silly trying to keep him at arm’s length.  We had a good relationship while it lasted.  I was afraid of how it would be, having a lover who was also a teammate again, but it was good.  Each of us had someone to turn to that understood the kinds of things we were thinking and feeling, and frankly, if Aya and Youji could make a go of it, there was no reason we couldn’t, too.”

 

“So Aya and Youji were already lovers by this point?”  The ever curious Chloe had to ask.

 

“Oh yeah.  I don’t know all the details, and I certainly don’t want to, but it had started much earlier.  I always got the impression though that it had just been a physical thing with them for a long time.”

 

“Really?  How very interesting.”

 

“Umm, do you still want to hear about Omi?”

 

“I’m sorry, Ken, yes, of course I do.  Please continue.”

 

“There was a mission; it involved a military base in Japan.  We ended it successfully, but innocent people died and...I think that I scared Omi.  By the time I eliminated the final target...it was the only time I’ve ever really wanted to kill someone.  I mean, I’ve taken on my missions voluntarily and I’ve wanted to do my job, but that time was different.  I killed out of personal anger; I murdered him instead of killing him.  Does that make any sense?”

 

“I think I understand what you mean.  Go on.”

 

“I think that scared Omi, freaked him out.  He grew more and more distant and when the chance came from his grandfather to take on the post of Persia full time, he jumped on it.  Before we had a chance to really talk about things, a new mission came in.  Youji and I were sent away to Europe, and Aya was put undercover in charge of two new team members.  Weiss was changing.  Nothing was ever going to be the same again. 

The mission in Europe was bad for Youji and me.  He got close to a woman that he had to kill.  For reasons that have to do with his personal history, that’s brutally hard for him.  Without Aya there to balance him out, Youji walked away from that mission different, obsessed with death.  He spouted a lot of romantic crap about dying with the one you love and I don’t think it was just the drugs he’d started doing that were talking.  Something in him was broken. 

I let my anger build up even more.  I was mad at everyone because of the feeling I had that I was losing Omi, but my own anger had been the reason for it in the first place.  During the mission, we broke into a facility and came across the system known as Epitaph.  It called me ‘too contaminated’ when it analyzed me.  I guess it was right.  We needed a break, but we never got one. 

When we got home, Youji was sent undercover into the same school as Aya and ended up taking on the same kind of role that he had had in Europe.  He tried to hide what was happening, especially from Aya, but we could all see how it was killing his soul, bit by bit.  He and Aya grew as distant as Omi and I had. 

Omi still cared about Weiss at that point; at least, I think that he did.  One of the new team members he brought into Weiss was bait.  He was hoping to provoke a reaction, and counting on Aya to keep it all together.  But, like the Persia before him, Omi never told any of us what was going on.  He moved us around like pawns in a game. 

When Omi’s grandfather threatened to pull the plug on the mission, Aya went rogue and all of us followed him.  Eventually Omi joined us as well.  His last mission as Omi.  The final battle was horrible.  We had already lost Kyo earlier in an attack at the school, and now Sena had been killed as well at the hands of his own mother.  I think that and what had happened to Youji was just the last straw for Aya. 

He and Youji fought just before we went into the building for the final battle.  Youji acted as though he was brainwashed, but I really think he just wanted to end it all, dying with the man he loved or dying alone and finally, at least, being at peace.   I don’t know how Aya talked him out of it, but the next time I saw him, Youji had killed the woman responsible for the experiments at the school and seemed like his old self again.  We couldn’t reach him though, and the school was coming down around our ears.  Youji promised to live, he promised to find us and come home.  He said that home was where Aya was.  I believed him and so did Aya.  A recovery team did get him out, but he was pretty banged up.  So was I, actually.  Aya’s sword is pretty damn nasty.”

 

“Wait a minute, how did you get hurt with Aya’s sword?”

 

“This woman that was Youji’s target, she was genetically engineering paranormals.  The one we were fighting needed to speak each time he used his powers.  Once we figured that out, I managed to grab the guy and got my hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking.  I held onto him and told Aya to go ahead and finish him off; that I’d be ok.  I was in the hospital for a long time, but I’m fine now, really.  Aya’s old team from before Weiss pulled Omi and me out and got us to the hospital right away, and I was taken straight into surgery. 

Anyhow, Youji was in a coma for just over a month, I think.  When he woke up, his memory was gone; completely gone.  Aya left.  He just couldn’t take it anymore.  I think he took up solo jobs away from Weiss, and he and Omi may have argued about it.  I know he wanted to be able to make his own decisions after the mess that the last mission had been and so did I.  The weight of the sin is on our souls, why shouldn’t we be allowed to make choices about what should and shouldn’t be done?  We just wanted to be a part of the process instead of only being used as mindless weapons in someone else’s game. 

Weiss was done and I was alone.  I went into a prison, trying to get my head screwed on straight, but when I came out, Omi told me that Aya had left Japan and that he wanted me gone as well.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  Omi made it out to be for my own safety, but the truth was I had become a liability to him.  He was pursuing politics and the company business and Weiss was something he wanted to make disappear. 

Shortly after a series of attempts on his life, his grandfather mysteriously died and Omi took control of everything.  I was told to get Aya’s sword back from Youji and leave Japan for good.  I didn’t want to do it, but he wasn’t leaving me much choice.  On my way out, Nagi took me aside and ‘explained’ things to me.  Either I got the sword and left, or Youji and I would both be dead by the end of the week.  Youji would be allowed to stay in Japan as long as his memory was truly gone, but Takatori couldn’t take the chance that the sword or the sight of one of us might awaken his memories someday.  I was a walking embarrassment to him, and the scandal attached to my past could damage Omi if anyone ever figured out who I was. 

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and was turning around to go confront Omi when I saw that he had been standing behind me and listening to us.  It was clear that he had heard everything, and he wasn’t denying any of it.  I can still remember the cold look in his eyes...it hurt so much.  I knew he didn’t feel the same way about me anymore, and if he just wanted free of the relationship that would have been one thing, but to know how he had used us and to know that we were expendable enough to be killed to protect his future.  I just couldn’t take it.  He had been like a brother to me as well as a lover and the man standing in front of me wasn’t either.  When I answered Nagi I was still looking at Omi...no Mamoru.  I told them that I would collect the sword and go if I could go alone and if they would guarantee Youji’s safety.  Mamoru agreed but insisted that I would be watched until I left Japan. 

I went to Youji’s apartment and got the sword.  There was nothing in his eyes, Chloe.  There was no sign at all that he ever knew who I was.  After everything that I’d been through, I felt a little like maybe I didn’t exist; I felt numb.  Leaving Japan was easier than I thought it would be after that.  I had only one more surprise waiting for me at the airport.  Nagi had sent Schuldig to see me off.  I guess that was how they had been keeping tabs on me all week and making sure that I wasn’t lying when I said that I would go.  He never spoke to me that week, but as I was walking through the gate, I saw an image in my head of Nagi and Omi kissing.  I know he put it there and I know he’s a sadistic, manipulative bastard, but I also think it was probably the truth.  I never had any chance of getting Omi back after he became Persia and it was Schuldig’s way of telling me never to come home.  I doubt he meant it to be kind, but he sort of did me a favor.  The rest you pretty much know.”

 

They continued walking on in silence, wrapped in the low light of the evening.  Chloe pulled Ken off the path by the hand and walked over the grass to a large gingko tree that stood off the path and just out of the reach of the lights.  Pushing Ken back against the massive trunk, Chloe embraced the other man and just held him for a minute.

 

“Chloe?”  Ken asked softly.

 

Pulling away and placing two fingers over Ken’s lips, Chloe said, “Hush, let me talk for a moment.  I know how it feels to kill.  I’ve watched my teammates die.  I’ve even pondered my own sanity and the state of my soul.  I have known countless types of pain, but I haven’t had to face the kinds of betrayals that you have.  I would love to tell you that KB is different, that what has happened to you could never happen here.  The way our organization is set up, we have choices; choices you were never given from what I understand.  You and Aya have found what you wanted here.  You have choices, your opinion matters.  No one here is holding anything over your head or threatening you to get you to do what they want.  Still, it’s no guarantee.  There are no guarantees in this life.  I can understand why neither of you would want to speak about these things, but I’m glad that you told me.  It explains a great deal about both of you, and a large part of me wishes that I had known earlier so that I wouldn’t have acted so insensitively.  I have a newfound respect and admiration for both of you now that I understand more of what happened.  In that situation, you could very easily have chosen to give up and die, but you didn’t.  I know better than some that sometimes it takes more courage to live.” 

 

Chloe stopped speaking then and leaned forward to cover Ken’s lips with his own.  It was a soft kiss that spoke more of tenderness and understanding than passion, and when it was over he pulled away to see Ken shiver.  “I’d like to think that you are shivering over the excitement of my kisses, but I suspect it has more to do with the night air so soon after your shower.  Let me take you home and get you something warm to eat and drink, and then we’ll tuck each other into bed, all right?”

 

“Okay,” Ken responded softly.

 

They hadn’t quite completed their circuit of the park, so it took some time to reach the road and the path for home.  As they walked through the door, they had to step sideways to avoid the blur that was Michel running for his room.

 

“Hi Chloe, Hi Ken,” Michel called out.  “We can’t stay and keep you company while you eat ‘cause Aya said we had to go do our homework.  Enjoy your dinner!”  And with that, the energetic youngster bounded away.

 

“Hello, Ken, Chloe,” a more sedate Yuki spoke as he approached.  “Your plates are on the table now, and should still be warm.  Free only took them out of the microwave about a minute ago, and there is a pot of tea there as well.  Good night.”

 

“Good night, Yuki,” Chloe responded as he steered Ken to the table. 

 

As they had been told, two plates of food, two empty mugs, and a pot of tea awaited them.  As they sat down, Aya walked out of the kitchen carrying his own tea mug and filled it from the pot on the table.  “You two are on dish detail: Free and I cooked, you clean.”  He stopped on his way out of the room and turned around quickly, “And by the way, don’t forget you two still have half a shift to work tomorrow and I expect you to be on time.”

 

“What’s with him?” Ken asked.

 

“I believe he is somewhat annoyed because two of his housemates left for the evening without informing anyone as to their whereabouts, or their expected arrival time.  As he had planned a nice dinner for all of us this evening, he was somewhat...put out.”  Free explained as he walked into the room to refill his own teacup.  “I’m afraid that you may find that Aya took out his frustration by using a few extra pans tonight than was strictly necessary for the preparation of the food.  Enjoy your evening.”

 

As Free left the room, Ken turned to Chloe and accused, “You didn’t tell Aya that we were going out?  If that stack is more than a foot high, you are washing, buddy.”

 

“Now that hardly seems fair, you could have told him as well.  You said that I had to be ready by the time you got here…”

 

“And you had all that time plus the time I was in the shower so I really don’t want to hear about it.  You – are – washing.”

 

“Bossy this evening, aren’t we?”  Chloe asked as Ken angrily poked at a spear of broccoli on his plate.  “At least they decided to feed us before throwing us at the sink,” he quipped as he reached for the teapot.  His attempt to pour revealed that Free and Aya had left the room with all of the tea.  “Oh for the love of…” he sighed heavily, feeling thoroughly duped.

 

“What would you like?” Ken asked as he pushed back his chair and opened the refrigerator.  “I think we have some of that sparkly water crap that you like so much in here somewhere.”  Grabbing himself a can of soda, Ken reached for a bottle of carbonated water and held it up to show Chloe.

 

“Yes, thank you, Ken, that would be lovely.”

 

The two men finished their dinner and went to the sink where they groaned at the sight of the pile of dishes that Aya had left for them.  He must have been more than a little miffed, because it looked as though he had used nearly every pot and pan that the group owned.

 

“How on earth did he manage to do all this in only the time that we were gone?” Chloe asked.

 

“I don’t know, but whatever is in this one, it wasn’t anything we actually ate this evening.”  Showing the pan to Chloe, the two puzzled over the contents and finally laughed at the extremes that Fujimiya would go to for revenge.  “All things being equal, Chloe, this is pretty mellow compared to some of the stuff he used to do to us.  And trust me, it’s way better for him to get his pound of flesh now.  This way he’ll be fine tomorrow, but when he stews about stuff, it can get really, really, ugly.”

 

“Well then,” Chloe stated as he rolled up his sleeves, “let’s get to work and to bed so that we can rise early and keep our master content.” 

 

Ken dried the dishes and put them away as fast as Chloe was washing, but there was still time in between for him to smile at the image of the other man washing the dishes.  It had to be one of Chloe’s least favorite chores, and the one thing even he couldn’t do elegantly.  The sight of Chloe frowning at his dishpan hands threatened to bring forth a chuckle more than once, and Ken found himself counting the ceiling tiles in an attempt not to laugh.

 

Chores finally completed, the two men moved to the bedroom. 

 

“Do you mind if I grab the bathroom first?”  Ken asked.

 

“Not at all, go right ahead.  I’ll just go ahead and turn the bed down,” Chloe said as he moved around the room.  While Ken was gone, Chloe turned on a soft lamp across the room from the bed and turned off the harsh overhead fixture, leaving the room in dim light.  Deciding to forego the pajamas this time, Chloe grabbed only his robe to wear back when he had finished his turn in the bathroom.  Ken came back already having changed into his usual cotton pants and threw himself onto the bed.

 

“It’s all yours,” he stated as he rolled over and hugged one of the pillows to his face.

 

Chloe slipped out of the room and attended to his evening routine quickly and efficiently.  He had only been gone for a few minutes, but when he returned, Ken looked as though he was already dozing lightly.  Chloe moved quietly around the room, adjusting the blinds to let in the moonlight before he removed his robe and moved, naked, to the bed.  He could just make out an angry-looking scar on Ken’s left side that looked as though it might have been made by a sword, and wondered if that was the injury he had heard about earlier.  Carefully lying down beside Ken, Chloe ran one hand down the strong muscular back from neck to waist and back again.

 

Rousing slightly and uttering a delicious moan, Ken rolled over onto his back and Chloe turned his attention to Ken’s neck and chest.  Carefully leaning over, he blew a stream of cool air over Ken’s nipples and ran his tongue across his jaw.  Wanting better access, Chloe moved one leg over Ken and put his arms to either side of his shoulders.  Now properly positioned, he sucked at Ken’s nipples and brought them to stiff peaks. 

 

Seduced back to wakefulness, Ken moved his hands to Chloe’s hair and gripped the blond head as his chest was tortured.  Chloe detached his lips and reached with one of his hands to take hold of one of Ken’s.  Sitting back on Ken’s hips, he pulled Ken’s fingers into his mouth, one at a time.  Taking his time, Chloe carefully licked and sucked on each one until Ken’s moans grew louder. 

 

When Ken closed his eyes and threw back his head, Chloe released his hand and moved his hips down to the level of Ken’s knees.  Slowly easing his fingers into the elastic waist band of Ken’s pants, he carefully tugged the garment down and discarded it.  From that position it was easy to bend over and place a small kiss to Ken’s navel and then work his way around Ken’s hips.  Small kisses here and there and sucking and licking the inside of Ken’s thighs renewed the moans that he drawn out earlier.

 

Chloe took a moment to admire Ken’s erect cock.  It was thick and solidly built, like Ken himself, slightly shorter than his own, but wider around.  He took an experimental lick from root to tip and listened as Ken reacted to the stimulation.  He would have to stretch his mouth widely to accommodate his lover’s cock but he should be able to take him in completely.  Relaxing his jaw, Chloe took Ken into his mouth and bobbed his head a few times to adjust to the thickness.  Pausing to run his tongue over the head periodically, he took Ken down all the way to the back of his throat before pulling back. 

 

Ken fought valiantly to keep his hips in place.  He desperately wanted to thrust into that talented mouth.  It felt so incredibly good and it had been a very long time.  Reaching over to grab Chloe’s arm, Ken tried to get his lover’s attention and groaned out his name.  At the sound of his name, Chloe looked up without releasing Ken’s cock from his mouth.  Ken gestured for him to move around to his side.  “Please, I want to touch you, too,” he said fervently.  Chloe paused and shifted from straddling Ken’s knees to kneeling by Ken’s side to comply with his lover’s request, then went back to pleasuring him with ardent lips and tongue.

 

Now able to reach and touch and see.  Ken ran a hand delicately up and down Chloe’s erection and lightly stroked at the head.  Chloe’s moans of approval sent shivers through Ken’s groin and caused him to moan even louder.  Determined to give as much pleasure as he was receiving, Ken gently took hold of Chloe’s cock and began to stroke it with a firm touch.

 

Chloe reflected that it felt much as he had dreamed weeks ago when he had first begun fantasizing about the other man.  The reality of the strong hand stroking him deeper and deeper into a haze of pleasure felt as heady as any of the dreams he had had during his sleepless nights weeks earlier.  As Chloe noticed Ken’s breathing change and his hips starting to thrust, Chloe braced one hand on the bed and shifted his legs to create more space.  Balancing his weight, Chloe added his other hand to Ken’s and moved it faster on his own erection to keep pace with his lover. 

 

Understanding that Chloe wanted them to come together, Ken fought to hold back his orgasm while speeding up the hand over Chloe’s cock.  Moaning around Ken’s substantial erection to let him know that he was now close as well, Chloe sucked harder and pulled Ken’s orgasm out of him.  Ken’s hand tightened reflexively with the waves of pleasure, but kept moving; determined to bring his lover with him into the ecstasy he was feeling.  Chloe followed a few strokes later and groaned loudly, having finally achieved the intimacy he had craved for so long. 

 

Carefully releasing Ken from his mouth, Chloe swallowed and licked the remnants of Ken’s ejaculation from his skin.  Ken lay back, spent, against the pillow and breathed deeply.  When Chloe leaned back to catch his own breath, Ken sat up licked the remains of Chloe’s orgasm first from his lover’s hand and then from his own.  Chloe stared in fascination at the intensity of Ken’s gaze which never left Chloe’s eyes while he was licking and sucking.  It was like being stalked by a lion, or a tiger, he thought fondly.  The image put a smile on Chloe’s face and prompted Ken to ask, “What is it?”

 

“Nothing at all, Siberian.  You were delicious, you know?”  Chloe teased Ken with his old code name before sharing the taste of the other man that still clung to his lips.  As they kissed, Chloe could detect his own taste in Ken’s mouth and moaned his approval.

 

Finally feeling the effects of a long day of work and exercise combined with two orgasms, Ken fought not to yawn in Chloe’s face.

 

“Tired?” Chloe asked with a grin.

 

“Sorry, Chloe, it’s no reflection on you, honest.  It’s just been a really long day and I’m beat.”

 

“I know.  It’s all right.  It has been a long day.  Get comfortable and I’ll go turn out the light.”

 

Chloe turned off the small lamp and quickly returned to the bed and Ken’s warm embrace.  With arms and legs entwined, Ken kissed his lover and looked at him in the pale moonlight.

 

Chloe watched as Ken stared at him and tried to guess what it was that his lover was thinking. 

 

Ken took a deep breath and released it before raising his hand to cup the side of Chloe’s face.  After a brief but intense kiss, Ken pulled back, looked Chloe straight in the eyes and said, “I love you.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Mr. Ito?  Miss Izumi finally returned with the flowers so we’re about to start the party for Mrs. Honda.  Are you going to come?”

 

“Did someone bring a cake?”

 

“Oh yes, there’s all kinds of food in the break room,” the young woman responded enthusiastically.  “Come on, the boss said we could all stop work an hour early to celebrate her last day and you don’t want to miss seeing her off.”

 

“Alright, I’ll just finish this last letter and shut down.  It shouldn’t take me more than five minutes.”

 

“Don’t be much longer or I can’t guarantee there’ll be any cake left.”  With that, the hyperactive company receptionist turned and bounced down the hall.

 

Ito Ryo finished the letter he had been working on and after giving it a quick read-through, printed it off, placed it in his outgoing box, and shut down his computer for the day.  As he stood, Ryo took the time to stretch his aching back muscles before slipping his jacket back on and heading in the direction of the break room.

 

Ryo arrived to find the party in full swing and the food disappearing rapidly.  As he looked over the selection, his eye was caught by a creative and decadent looking dessert constructed from what appeared to be eclairs.  Putting his choice on a paper plate, he picked up a napkin, and a cup of coffee and wandered over to one of the tables to sit down.  “Hello, ladies, do you mind if I join you?” Ryo asked the three women at the table he now stood beside.

 

“Ooh, Mr. Ito, no please do sit down.”

 

Taking the remaining chair, Ryo settled in and took a bite of the western style delicacy, giving a small moan of appreciation as he chewed and swallowed.  The combination of bittersweet chocolate and creamy vanilla custard was hedonistic.  So engrossed was Ryo in the consumption of his pastry that he failed to notice the small group of women now attentively watching him eat.  Oblivious to the picture he presented to the room, Ryo didn’t simply eat his dessert, rather it was more as if he was making love to it.  As he finished and licked the last remains from his fingers, two of the three women stood, excused themselves, and fled to the ladies room to splash their faces with cold water.

 

Snack tooth now sated, Ryo took a long drink of his coffee and turned to his remaining companion.  “So you had to go out to pick up the flowers, Miss Izumi?”

 

Izumi nodded as she swallowed the tea she’d been sipping.  “I didn’t have to, I suppose, but this particular florist is very generous with their arrangements if you are willing to pick them up instead of needing them to be delivered.”  Gesturing across the room to where the flowers had been placed in a vase, she said, “Look.”

 

“Wow,” Ryo said in appreciation, “that’s much better than what we could get at the local shop.”

 

“And we saved enough money to give her a little gift card to a local boutique that we know she likes,”  Izumi added, obviously proud of herself.

 

“How did you find out about this place?” Ryo asked.

 

“I pass it when I go to see my boyfriend at his apartment.  It isn’t a big shop and it’s nothing fancy, but it’s run by a lovely young couple, and their prices are very reasonable for purchases in person.  Since it’s just the two of them, it’s difficult to run the deliveries, so they give a little extra to walk-in customers to encourage more business.”

 

“I like to buy my wife flowers, but she gets on me about the cost.  I can’t help it.  I love to give them to her and they make the apartment seem more...I don’t know...comfortable.  If I could still get the flowers but spend a little less, maybe she would be happier.  Could you give me the name and address of the shop?”

 

“I’ll do one better than that for you, Mr. Ito.  I have the shop’s card in my handbag along with the receipt.  If you can wait for a few minutes, I’ll go get it for you while you say goodbye to Mrs. Honda.”

 

“Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you.”

 

“Oh, it’s no trouble.  I’ll be right back.”

 

Ryo finished off the last of his coffee and went to wish his co-worker the best of luck.  As promised, Izumi returned a few minutes later with the florist’s business card.

 

 “I took the liberty of writing down the train connections from the office to the shop on the back of the card, just in case you weren’t familiar with the neighborhood.  Is that all right?”  Izumi asked timidly.

 

Taking her hand and giving her knuckles a small kiss, Ryo said, “Your beauty is only matched by your generosity of spirit.  Thank you, dear lady.  I am forever in your debt.”

 

“You scoundrel,” she remarked giggling.  “You’d best go get those flowers for your wife after saying things like that to another woman.”

 

Ryo shrugged as he tilted his head to the side endearingly.  “She knows that I’m an incurable flirt, but also that my heart belongs to no other woman but her.”  Giving a small bow, Ryo said his goodbyes to his co-workers and left for the day.

 

As he walked out of the building, Ryo looked at the directions on the back of the business card.  The shop was indeed a good bit out of his way, but with the company allowing him to leave early, he wouldn’t get home too much later than usual.  ‘Besides,’ he thought, ‘I’ll already have the flowers to apologize when I arrive.’  It wasn’t until he was on the first of his three trains that he turned the card over and noticed the strange name of the shop,  ‘Kitten’s House’.

 

As he left the final train and walked out of the station gate, Ryo felt a strange sensation wash over him.  He started to walk down the street and eventually saw the shop after turning a series of corners, but it wasn’t until he was facing the building that Ryo realized he hadn’t consulted the directions on the card since leaving the train.  Suddenly, Ryo’s legs felt heavy, like he was wading through deep water, and the last few steps to the shop’s entrance pulled at his feet.  A small bell over the door chimed when he opened it, and as Ryo stepped inside, the fragrance and color of hundreds of blooms assaulted his senses.

 

A petite woman with a long braid stood at a counter near the register and worked with a large arrangement.  At the sound of the bell, she looked up from her work and asked, “Can I help you?”

 

Shaking off the strange feeling, Ryo walked to the large glass-fronted refrigerator and looked at the variety of flowers available.  “I’d like to get something for my wife.  Do you have any recommendations?”

 

“Is there any particular type of flower that she’s fond of?”

 

“No, there isn’t really.  Isn’t that funny?  I buy flowers for her all the time, but I seem to take more of an interest in them than she does.  I mean, she likes them, don’t get me wrong; it’s just she’s not very particular one way or another.”

 

“Well, in that case, does anything here catch your eye?  There’s no reason you shouldn’t pick something you would enjoy if she doesn’t have any preference.”

 

“I’ve always been fond of orchids…”  Turning back to the clerk, he asked, “Do you have any orchids in stock?”

 

“Yes, of course.  Would you like a live plant or sprays for a bouquet?”

 

“I…”  Ryo stopped suddenly and looked around him.    He found himself looking at everything in the shop as though desperately searching for something. 

 

Noticing Ryo’s wandering gaze, the young woman asked, “Was there something else that you wanted to go with the orchids?”

 

Distractedly, Ryo muttered, “Roses,” and wandered off to look at one of the display counters.

 

“Ah, then I’ll make an arrangement, shall I?”  When Ryo didn’t respond, she started to gather the flowers and moved over to the work space that she had clear.  Waving to get his attention, she showed him the orchids and the complimentary colors of roses she had selected.  “Are these all right, sir?”

 

“Sorry; yes, they’re lovely.”  Ryo stared at the young woman then, much as he had been looking at the store.  What was it that was bothering him so much about this place?  It was as though he had known every inch of it, but yet didn’t.  The woman, too, seemed strangely familiar, but he felt certain that he’d never met her.  “Ah, excuse me,” he said to get her attention.  “Have you owned this store for very long?  I mean, you’re quite young to own your own business.”

 

“No, I haven’t owned it for very long.  I worked here as an assistant first, and after I got married the woman who owned the shop, Mrs. Momoe, let me buy her out.  She said she was ready to retire.”

 

“Did your family help you to buy the shop?  It must have been very expensive for a young couple just starting out.”

 

“No...I don’t have any family left, besides my husband, I mean...there was money left behind for me.  We used that to get started.”

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry.  I...I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question.  I guess it was just my imagination then.”

 

“It’s all right, please don’t apologize.  What did you mean by your imagination?”

 

“It’s just that you remind me of someone.  Not someone that looks exactly like you, but very similar, like maybe a relative.  I’m sorry.  Never mind, please.  I shouldn’t bother you like this when you’re working.”

 

He wandered off then and continued his self-guided tour of the shop.  She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he made his way around the large area.  The man appeared as though he was having trouble breathing and would pull at his tie or rub at his chest periodically, and she noticed a fine sheen of perspiration building on his brow despite the coolness of the air.  He finally wandered to the area of the cash register and stared at the counter, tracing various cuts and marks on it with his fingers. 

 

As she finished the arrangement and moved to the register to ring him up, her husband poked his head around the corner and called out to her, “Aya-chan, are you done with the order to go out…Oh, I’m very sorry, I didn’t know we had a customer.  Excuse me, sir.”

 

When she turned back to her customer, she found that the man had gone completely white and had a death-grip on the counter.  “Sir!  Are you all right?”  To her husband she yelled, “Come here quickly, there’s something wrong!”

 

Her husband ran around the corner and held Ryo up while Aya-chan hurried off to get a chair for him to sit in.  Urging him into it, she had him put his head down and fanned him with a nearby tablet while she sent her husband to fetch a glass of water.

 

Gradually, Ryo regained both his color and his composure.  “I don’t know what happened, I just got dizzy all of a sudden.  I’m very sorry to have troubled you like this.”

 

“It’s nothing.  Are you sure you’re all right, now?” she asked as Ryo rose from the chair and reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet.

 

“Yes, I’m fine,” Ryo assured her with a weak smile as he handed over a few bills with still shaking hands.  “I probably just had a little too much sugar on an empty stomach today at the office party.  Low blood sugar, you know?  I’ll just go home, have a nice dinner with my wife and turn in early, and I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

 

He watched as she made change from the cash register and handed it over to him with his receipt.  Taking one last long look at her face, he worked up the courage to ask, “Could you tell me what your family name was?  Just out of curiosity.”

 

“Fujimiya.”

 

*****

 

First there was a phone call from Crawford to Nagi.

Then there was a phone call from Nagi to Mamoru.

Then came the request to Mamoru’s secretary, “Get Ito Asuka on the phone for me, NOW!”

 

*****

 

It was a still slightly shell-shocked Ryo that entered his apartment nearly two hours later.  As he toed his shoes off by the door, he could hear the sound of his wife’s voice coming from the next room.  “I’m home,” he called out weakly.

 

Peering around the corner, Asuka put one hand over the mouthpiece of the telephone and mouthed, “Welcome home.” 

 

Seeing that she was busy on the telephone, Ryo walked into the living room to the small table nearest the entry, put down the flowers, and emptied his pockets into the small bin he kept there.  As his wife watched him, he gestured toward the bedroom and tugged at his tie to indicate that he would go and change while she continued to talk.

 

“That’s right, my husband just came home, so I’ll have to go in a minute, Mika-chan.”

 

“Where the hell has he been?”  Mamoru asked.

 

Constrained to pretend she was on the phone with a girlfriend in case Ryo could still hear her, Asuka creatively replied, “Oh, he brought me the loveliest flowers, but it must be a new florist, because I don’t recognize the paper.  They’re so pretty though, beautiful roses and orchids.”

 

“Look around for a card, or a receipt.  See if there’s anything that has the name on it,” Takatori ordered.

 

Asuka searched the table by the entryway and finally spotted the receipt in the trash can below.  “Oh, what a good bargain he got.  He left the receipt here and these beautiful flowers cost so much less than I would have expected.  I’ll have to get him to tell me where this Kitten’s House is so that you can let your husband know.”

 

“Damn!  How did he look when he got there, was he upset or did he appear normal?”

 

Asuka bit her lip and thought fast.  “Oh, I’m sorry, Mika-chan, I don’t think I’ll be able to get to that tonight.  Ryo didn’t look very good when he got home.  He might be coming down with a cold or maybe he just had a bad day at work, either way though I should probably keep an eye on him this evening and give him a little pampering, to thank him for the beautiful flowers.”

 

“Alright, listen to me carefully.  Get him tranquilized as soon as possible.  We’ll send a car to get you to Magic Bus, and have him checked out to see what has shaken loose. When you’re ready for the car, raise the blinds on the living room window and we’ll send two men up.  I’ll meet you at the hospital, and we’ll give you your instructions after the evaluation.  Do you understand?”

 

“Yes, thank you, Mika-chan, that sounds perfect.  I’ll catch up with you soon.  Take care.  Bye.”  Asuka pushed the button to hang up the telephone and carefully replaced the receipt for the flowers back in the bin.  As she gazed at the fragrant arrangement, Asuka realized that her cushy job might well be about to come to an end.  It hadn’t always been the easiest assignment, but keeping an eye and ear on a guy as attractive as Youji, and being paid well to do it, had been a lot of fun.  She was just glad that after they had married, he hadn’t started bugging her to start a family.  She wasn’t sure if she could have continued the deception if it required that much of a commitment; no matter what she had said to her employer.

 

Taking a deep breath, Asuka put her devoted wife mask firmly back into place and walked into the bedroom.  Ryo had changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and was lying on the bed with an arm over his eyes.  “Is everything okay, honey?” she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

 

“Yeah, sorry, baby.  I didn’t mean to be so late.  I stopped at a new place to get flowers and you know how the trains are.”  He felt bad lying to her but didn’t want to worry her by letting her know how long he had wandered around before he caught the train home.  He didn’t know what it was that had disturbed him, but couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was suddenly very wrong.  “Did you see the flowers?  Did you like them?”

 

“They’re beautiful, dear, as always.  You have the best taste in flowers.  Are you sure you are feeling okay?  You really don’t look so well,” she observed.

 

“Ah, yeah, I sorta skipped lunch and then had this dessert thing,” he said, resorting to his earlier excuse.  “I think maybe it’s just my blood sugar or something, but I got kinda dizzy earlier and now my head aches a little.”

 

“Well, do you want to try a little dinner, or should I just bring you some aspirin and tea?” she asked in a concerned tone of voice.

 

“Maybe just the tea for now, huh?  I’m not really all that hungry.”

 

“I’ll go ahead and put a little honey in it, just in case it is just your blood sugar.  Alright?”

 

“Perfect.  Thank you, baby.  You take such good care of me.”  He stroked her thigh gently with his other hand before releasing her to fetch his tea.

 

It was all too easy to put the drugs into the tea, and the honey covered the taste.  He drank the tea obediently and she even got him the aspirin as she had offered.  Once he had finished all of the tea, she waited twenty minutes to ensure that he was in a stupor and opened the blinds to the window. 

 

Within minutes, two men appeared at her door and carried Ryo out on a stretcher.  An unmarked van stood ready to carry him to the hospital, and the Magic Bus was expecting their arrival.  He was taken immediately to the doctor assigned by Takatori to monitor Ryo’s progress since Koua Academy, and Asuka went to the waiting room.

 

After a very long and very dull three hours, Asuka saw Takatori Mamoru and his bodyguard enter the building and make their way to the elevators.  Obviously he would be speaking to the doctor before giving her any instructions, but at least she finally had an indication that the exam must be over.  It shouldn’t be much longer now.  Still, she wished she had thought to have someone drive her home, instead of waiting here, in case she needed to start preparing things for a move.

 

Fifteen minutes later, a nurse came and escorted her to a private room where Nagi and Mamoru were waiting.  Nagi was standing in the back of the room, leaning in the shadows, and Mamoru was seated in one of the two chairs.  “Please sit down, Asuka,” he instructed.

 

Mamoru had worked out several contingency plans with Nagi before they had ever set foot inside Magic Bus, and so now they were able to proceed without delay.

 

“It appears as though the visit to the Kitten’s House has indeed awakened at least some level of memory in Ryo.”  It still felt odd for him to call Youji by that name, but even Asuka had not been told much of his background, and he needed it to stay that way.  “It may not lead to any true memories whatsoever, but he is showing signs of discomfort when confronted with obvious cues, and we can no longer operate under the assumption that his memory loss is irreversible.  He has been given drugs to prevent any memory of the questioning, but he will likely remember the hospital visit.  You will tell him that he collapsed and that his doctor has diagnosed it as stress and exhaustion from overwork.  You will keep him lightly sedated during this time to support this in his mind.  I will be contacting his supervisor and a plan will be devised to send him out of the country on company business, and you will accompany him.  You will need to stay with him 24 hours a day from here on out and let him speak to no one out of your hearing.  If you hear anything come out of his mouth about his past, in front of anyone who is not part of Kritiker, you know what you have to do.   We will leave more detailed instructions at each point on your cell phone voice mail.  If you need to contact us, use the Mika code-name number, and do it only when you are certain that he is asleep.  Do you have any questions?”

 

“I don’t think a passport was ever issued to him as Ito Ryo, at least not that I’ve ever seen.”

 

“You will receive that by tomorrow morning.  Anything else?”

 

“May I ask where we will be going?”

 

“That has not yet been determined.  We will try to do this as quickly as possible, but we need you to keep the illusion going while we get things into place.  I know this is sudden, but this mission is of great importance to Kritiker, and failure is unacceptable.  Do whatever it is that you have to do to ensure its success.  Am I understood?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“The doctor will give you all the regular medications you will need on your way out of the hospital tonight, but these,”  he paused and motioned to Nagi, “we will give to you right now.”  Nagi handed a small zippered case to Asuka.  As she opened the zipper and folded the fabric back, she saw what appeared to be an epinephrine pen auto-injector kit with two syringes.  “You will be given special medical certificates to ensure that you can take these on the plane with you,” Mamoru explained.  “To all outward appearances, this looks like a regular anaphylactic shock kit.  The blue syringe is filled with a fast acting sedative, the red syringe is…”

 

“I understand, sir.”

 

“If you use that syringe, you’d better be prepared to give a damned good reason.  Use of that syringe constitutes a mission failure in all but the most extreme of circumstances.”

 

She nodded at that, understanding all too well what was being asked of her.  She wasn’t in love with the man known as Ito Ryo, but she had come to care about him.  It was obvious that the man in front of her was just as reluctant to end that life as she would be if it came down to it, but it was something that both understood could happen.  As she rezipped the pouch and placed it into her handbag, she sent up a silent prayer that she would never be asked to use either of the syringes.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

A knock at the door of his study caused Richard Krypton to look up from the papers that he had been reading since long past the end of a normal working day.  His assistant, Mihirogi, was standing in the open doorway of the office and holding a slip of paper.

 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m afraid this may be important.”

 

Frowning more at the idea that Mihirogi had stayed at her post so late than at the disruption, KR waved her in.  “It’s fine, Mihirogi, come in and sit down.  My eyes needed a rest anyway.  Is it trouble?”

 

“I’m not sure.  Today, one of our agents was contacted by an informant who sometimes works as a go-between.  He said that Mamoru Takatori was interested in contacting you regarding what was only described as ‘business’.  The informant was not instructed to wait for a reply, only to deliver the message, and no other contact information was given.  Mr. Takatori hides his private numbers and addresses very well, but I have located the number for his office in the corporate headquarters.”  She handed over the piece of paper that she had been carrying.  It bore only Takatori’s name and a phone number, complete with the country code.  “I wouldn’t have bothered you with it, but given his history with two of our operatives, I thought that it might be important.”

 

“No, you were absolutely right.  It may be nothing, but it’s certainly worth a simple phone call to find out.  Is it business hours in Japan, yet?”  he asked.

 

Glancing at her watch to check the time, Mihirogi replied, “It’s a bit early, but unless he’s in a breakfast meeting or out of town, I expect he would be in his office by now.”  She stood up, “If there’s nothing you need from me, I’ll leave you to make your call.”

 

“Nothing else tonight, no.  Thank you for getting this to me.  Would you mind closing the door on the way out, though?  It may be nothing, but I’d rather not take any chances.” 

 

Mihirogi nodded and moved toward the door.  The closing of the door activated a soundproofing system within the room and would prevent anyone from overhearing the conversation by any electronic means.  As the door clicked behind her and the system engaged, she wondered what the young heir to the Takatori empire was up to.

 

*****

 

“What’s the current status?”  Mamoru asked Nagi when the latter entered the office.

 

“I’ve been told that an informant passed your message sometime yesterday, and all the necessary passport and medical documents to get Asuka and Balinese out of the country were taken care of yesterday morning.  Balinese is resting comfortably at home and seems perfectly content so far with the explanation he’s been given regarding his hospital visit.  His supervisor has been contacted and been told to be ready to come here to the office as soon as we are prepared.  He will deliver whatever materials and cover story we provide to him, but will have no actual details of why this is being done.  Asuka understands what is expected of her and is ready to move at a moment’s notice.”

 

“How much longer do you think we can afford to wait?”

 

“I know that he’s been quiet up to this point, but it’s been nearly two days since the incident.  I don’t think we can risk more than twenty four hours without at least having a plan in place to distract him.”

 

“If I have to kill him,  Abyssinian won’t rest until one of us is dead,” Mamoru stated flatly.

 

“I could stop his heart.  There would be no forensic evidence, no proof that any of us was involved in Balinese’s death,” Nagi offered.

 

“Abyssinian won’t need proof.  He’ll know.”  Takatori sat quietly for a few minutes before shaking his head and continuing.  “It would be easiest if we could just find a way to make this happen; but I agree, we cannot rule out the possibility of having to terminate him if no other options become available soon.  Would it be possible to use…”

 

His question was interrupted by the sound of the intercom on his desk buzzing.  Pushing the button, he asked, “Yes, what is it?”

 

“Sir,” the sound of his secretary’s voice came through the speaker, “there is a Mr. Krypton on line 3 asking to speak to you regarding a business offer.”

 

“Thank you, yes, I’ll take the call now.  Please put it through.”  Releasing the button on the intercom, he waited for the light to appear on the phone and took a deep breath before lifting the handset to his ear.  “Good morning, Mr. Krypton, thank you for calling back so promptly.  I would have preferred to meet with you about our business in a more comfortable and private setting, but unfortunately the time for this unique offer is somewhat limited.”

 

“I understand.”  Krypton inferred from Takatori’s words that the line was unsecure and that they would be speaking in carefully framed references around the topic.  Moving Weiss’ history file aside, he grabbed a pencil and notepad off the surface of his desk and  prepared to take notes.  “I know that you are a busy man, and so am I.  Please continue.”

 

“I have been told by a mutual acquaintance that you have recently become a collector of rare cats.  It so happens that I have a cat here, a Balinese to be precise, that I think might interest you.”

 

“I’m surprised that you would wish to part with such a fine specimen, Mr. Takatori.”

 

“Unfortunately, I have developed a rather serious allergy to this cat, and must find it a new home far, far away immediately.  With your resources, I thought that perhaps you would be willing to take on its care.  If you cannot, I’m afraid that I may have to put the poor beast down.”

 

“Surely the situation isn’t so serious that you would need to take such drastic action,” Krypton responded, trying to keep the growing anger out of his voice.  “There must be alternatives.”

 

“I’m afraid that my doctor has advised me that due to the seriousness of this particular allergy, I must find a new and permanent home outside of Japan for this cat within 24 hours, or it must be put to sleep.  I’m sorry to have to ask you to make a decision like this on such short notice, but you can see that time is rather pressing.”

 

The pencil in KR’s grasp snapped in half and he forced his voice to remain professional as he reached for another.  “If I am willing to take the cat off of your hands, what arrangements would need to be made to ensure its safe arrival?”

 

“I have an animal handler who is prepared to transport the cat to England on a flight that leaves in a few hours.  You would need to ensure that it is picked up by reliable people and transported directly to your home without any outside interference.  A conveyance that was dark and quiet would be best, as I’m sure the beast will be rather upset after its journey.”

 

“Yes, I see.  I’ll have a private car and reliable people waiting for you at the airport.  Are there any other instructions?”

 

“Just one other thing.  This cat has been on its own for quite some time now, and does not mix well with other felines right at this moment.  You may eventually be able to retrain it to tolerate the presence of your felines, but for now, you should not put them together, and certainly don’t bring them along with you in the car.  The handler is prepared to take care of the situation if the animal becomes agitated, but obviously we would all prefer that such an outburst be avoided, if at all possible.”

 

“Of course; this will be traumatic enough without any additional threats to the animal’s well being.”

 

Mamoru sighed softly at KR’s response to the danger to Youji.  “We are doing our best to make this as painless as possible, but there are certain priorities to consider and sacrifices that have to made in the best interests of everyone.  I hope that you can understand.”

 

Understanding was irrelevant as far as KR could see so he ignored the question in favor of one of his own.  “Can you give me the information regarding the flight schedule?”

 

“Does that mean that you agree?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“To all of the terms as stipulated?” Takatori insisted.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good.  We will be making the arrangements now.  If you would be so kind as to call back in two hours, we will give you all the necessary information at that time.”

 

“Of course.  Goodbye, Mr. Takatori.”  As he hung up the phone, Richard Krypton took a deep breath and willed himself not to scream.  He was a patient man by nature, but it was well past the time he would have ordinarily turned in for the evening.   Slamming his fist on his desk KR realized two things: one, he disliked Mamoru Takatori, and, two, he was not going to get any sleep any time soon.

 

*****

 

Chloe awoke in his room in much the same way as he had two weeks earlier: well rested, happy, and alone.  The only new addition to this event was that this time, he was also naked as well.  He smiled at the memory provoked by that little realization and rolled over to spread out across the width of the bed.  Ken’s scent still lingered in the sheets and pillow, and Chloe inhaled deeply as he thought of his lover.  He had enjoyed finally being able to see and touch the other man and being touched back… 

 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Chloe started to sit up and think about the day ahead until the memory of Ken’s words came rushing back.  At the time it happened, Chloe was frozen and unable to reply, even if he had known what to say.  Something about the look on Ken’s face in the low light of the room and the breathless joy of their shared orgasms had left him feeling like spun glass.  To move or to speak would cause him to shatter into a million pieces.  And so he just lay there, mute, and watching his lover’s face.  Ken eventually closed his eyes and went to sleep, but Chloe continued to watch him for some time.

 

The inner workings of Chloe’s mind were different from the other members of his team.  If something felt good to him, then it was by definition a good thing.  Chloe didn’t sleep with people out of commitment, but neither did he do it as some sort of desperate act to feel alive, or to punish his body; he slept with people simply because it felt good.  He had nothing against love per se, but having one partner interfered with the ability to acquire others.  If he couldn’t ever live a normal life anyway, why should he settle down with one person and limit himself from other possible sources of fun? 

 

Being with Ken was forcing him to consider a whole new set of options and opportunities.  He was a teammate: there were things that he could share with him that he couldn’t with another partner.  He already lived here and thus living together presented no difficulty.  Chloe had never asked for fidelity in a partner before (most of his encounters lasted for less than a week or two at the most) but he knew that Ken would extend it to him whether he asked for it or not.  The real question became, was he willing to give up his own wandering spirit in return? 

 

As he showered and dressed, Chloe thought a great deal about all the partners he had had over the years and how each of them had made him feel before, during, and after a sexual encounter.  Staying with one partner would limit the excitement of the chase, the thrill of pursuit that occurred before the actual event.  On the other hand, there would always be that comforting knowledge that you were already accepted by the other person.  Losing one thing to gain the other seemed to be an equitable trade-off.

 

Next Chloe considered whether or not the magic that seemed to happen during sex with new partners might be diminished in some way by a day to day relationship.  Not having engaged very much with Ken up to this point, Chloe was not be prepared to swear to it under oath, but Ken seemed as passionate and capable in bed as any of his previous partners despite his familiarity, and given the electricity in their kisses, he expected that things might only improve over time. 

 

The only objection remaining was what might happen after their sexual relationship was established. It had taken longer to get to this point with Ken than it had with any of the others, but as a couple they had already reached that two week mark and, rather than feeling bored as he might have thought he would, Chloe felt both excited and thrilled in oddly equal measures.  Maybe it was simply that they had been friends first before this aspect of their lives had evolved.  He certainly hadn’t been friends first with any of the people he had met and picked up at art shows or at clubs. 

 

Despite the common shared interests he’d had with those one night conquests, he had to admit to being much more comfortable with Ken than he had when he needed to maintain an image, an illusion to sustain his desirability for the other person.  He could be sarcastic or imperfect, he could wake up with his hair sticking up and not fear for having to fix it before he was seen.  He could come home bathed in blood and still be able to ask for a kiss.  He might have fought constantly with Ken before Aya’s intervention, but there was no denying the connection between them now.

 

Having sorted out all the logical factors in his head, Chloe could give himself permission to see where his feelings would go.  By the time he finished adjusting his tie in the mirror, Chloe was able to look at himself and acknowledge that for the first time in his life, he thought he might be falling in love.

 

*****

 

Chloe entered a shop that was bustling with activity.  The weekends were often busy times; especially if, like today, they had wedding flowers to deliver.  Chloe tried to pull Ken aside and was deflected sharply by Aya.

 

“Help him get those flowers loaded.  If he doesn’t get out of here in ten minutes, he’s going to be late.”

 

Biting back a sarcastic reply, Chloe lifted two boxes of flowers containing the bouquets and boutonnieres and carried them to the delivery van.  Ken had his hands full taking the stands and large arrangements and placing them in specially made holders to keep them from tipping over or being crushed.  When the van was fully loaded, Ken closed the doors and returned to the shop to pick up the order sheet and directions.  Once again, Chloe tried to talk to Ken.  He was concerned that his lack of response the previous night to Ken’s admission might have hurt the man’s feelings, and wanted to get things straight right away.

 

“Ken, I need to talk to you for a minute.”

 

“But, Chloe, I’ve got to get out of here or Aya will have both of our hides.”

 

From the counter behind them, both men could hear the shrill sound of the telephone.

 

“Chloe, would you get that please?  All of us are occupied at the moment,”  Free called out.

 

“Fine,” Chloe grumbled as he stalked to the phone.

 

“See you later,” Ken shouted as he took off for the back door with the keys and clipboard.

 

Picking up the receiver, Chloe said, “Kitten’s House, how may I help you?”

 

“Chloe, is that you?  Good.  This is Mihirogi.”

 

“Well hello, my lovely, and how are you this fine morning?”

 

“I know you mean well, Chloe, but today is not the day for it.  I’ll be down to London in a few hours.  I’ll need you and Free to be ready to go to the airport with me when I arrive, but not a word of it to the others.  If they ask, just say you are going out to run errands.  They are not to know anything about this.  Am I clear?”  Without waiting for an answer, she continued.  “I’ll brief both of you in the car on the way there.  We are picking up two people from an international flight, and that’s all I can tell you for now.”

 

“I fail to see why something so insignificant as…”

 

Mihirogi cut him off sharply before he could finish.  “That’s enough.  I mean it, Chloe.  Not another word.  Take Free aside and tell him exactly what I said, and then say nothing to anyone.  This is quite literally a matter of life and death.”

 

Chloe could hear the sincerity in her tone and decided to yield.  “All right.  I’ll let him know.  What time?”

 

“I want to be early, so I’ll say five.  Neither of you is to leave the shop today.  If something happened and you didn’t make it back…”

 

“I understand, my sweet.  We’ll be here.  Don’t worry about it,”  Chloe reassured her.

 

“I’ll see you then.”

 

After Chloe hung up, he waited for a lull in the crowd when Aya was busy with a customer and Free was available, and took him aside to relay the details of the phone call.  Free nodded and looked thoughtful as Chloe relayed the instructions regarding their silence to the other members of the team, but said nothing.

 

*****

 

The afternoon came and went.  When Ken arrived back from the wedding set up, he had to go straight upstairs to change for his neighborhood football game and had no time to talk.  By the time Ken would return home, Chloe and Free would already be gone.  It then occurred to Chloe that, given the unknown nature of the mission, he might be spending the night somewhere else and not get the chance to speak to Ken at all before the day’s end.  With a heavy sigh, Chloe wondered if he should pack a bag, and then realized that would be too much of a tip off to Aya that something was up.

 

As closing time drew near, Free suggested to Aya that he leave for the day.  “There is no one left here and Chloe and I are capable enough to sweep the floors and count out the register.”

 

Aya, who had been sorting through paperwork and future orders, took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes.  “I am tired, and I don’t suppose there’s any reason why I couldn’t finish these up tomorrow.  Are you sure you don’t mind?”

 

“No, go on, Aya.  Have a nice soak and open a bottle of wine.  It’ll do you good to take a break for a change, you slave driver,”  Chloe teased.

 

With a small chuckle, Aya nodded his head.  “I know; I’m sorry I was in such a foul mood today.  Something’s just been nagging at me, and I don’t know what it is.  It’s left me with a headache and a bad temper and I apologize.”

 

“We understand, Aya,”  Free responded.

 

“Go ahead and get something for your headache and lay down,” Chloe added.

 

Once Aya had left the room, Chloe swiftly locked the door and Free began to count the register.  They finished up five minutes early and Chloe scribbled out a note to leave for Aya on the kitchen table.  As he tossed the pen aside and tore the paper from the pad, Chloe looked over at Free.  They both knew that Aya would be livid when he finally found out that they were on a mission without his knowledge, but those were their orders.

 

“What do we do about Yuki and Michel?” Chloe asked.

 

Free considered for a moment.  “We tell them what we were instructed.  We are going out to run a few errands.  We won’t be gone long, and Aya will be in the house, even if he is asleep.”

 

“Ken should be back soon, as well.  Still, I think we should alarm the doors, just to be safe.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

Chloe placed the note, folded twice, on the kitchen table.  It only said that Chloe and Free were running errands and didn’t expect to be back in time for dinner.  While he did that, Free repeated the story of the errands to Yuki and Michel, who were working at the computer on a project for school, and also mentioned that Aya was home, but resting, if they should happen to need anything.

 

They were walking out the front door and setting the alarm just as 5:00 rolled around.  They walked to the next corner, assuming that Mihirogi would not want to pick them up near the shop if secrecy was so important.  Two blocks away, a large black limousine flashed its lights twice, and the two men walked quickly in that direction.  A driver stepped from the car and opened the rear-most door when Free and Chloe were just steps from the vehicle.  As they crawled into the car, they saw Mihirogi studying one of several file folders that she had spread over her seat, which faced their own. 

 

Chloe waited until the door was closed and the car was moving before he asked, “So who are we picking up that is so important it’s worth the trouble we’re going to have from Aya when we return?”

 

Taking off her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose,  Mihirogi flipped through the file that she had been reading and extracted a photo of a blond man.  Holding it in front of her she said as calmly as she could, “Youji Kudou.”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

“Please come right in, sir.  May I take your hat and coat?”  Asuka asked the man who had arrived at the apartment door.

 

“Yes, thank you very much, Mrs. Ito.”  Ryo’s supervisor shrugged out of his coat and handed her his hat before removing his shoes and pushing his feet into the slippers that were provided for him to wear beyond the entryway.  “Is Mr. Ito awake enough for a chat?”

 

“Oh yes, sir,” she replied after hanging his jacket.  “He’s been sitting up on the couch with a pot of tea ever since you called.  He seems very nervous.  I think perhaps he’s afraid that you’re here to fire him for calling off sick.”

 

“Oh no, Mrs. Ito.  It’s nothing of the sort.”  The man picked up his briefcase and wandered out of the entry hall toward to the living room where he found his employee on the couch with a small chenille throw over his legs.  “Well, hello there, Mr. Ito.  I hope that you are feeling better today?”

 

Ryo turned his face toward his visitor and tried to stand to greet his boss, but the man waved at him to stay seated.  “No, no, stay put, please.  I’ll just make myself comfortable over here, if that’s alright?” he asked, selecting an oversized armchair next to the sofa.

 

“Yes, please, Mr. Tanaka, make yourself at home.  Shall I have Asuka bring you some tea?  Something to eat?”  Ryo asked, obviously nervous.

 

“Some tea would be very nice, but please relax, Mr. Ito.  My visit today is nothing unpleasant, I assure you.  On the contrary, I have an offer for you which would help the company and, I think, make you feel much better as well.”

 

Asuka moved into the room and removed the teapot from the table.  Leaving the door to the kitchen open so that she could hear the conversation, she quickly prepared a new pot of tea.  She returned to the room with the pot and two cups on a tray before kneeling to pour tea for both men.

 

Taking a deep breath over the cup he was handed, Mr. Tanaka smiled in appreciation of the choice of tea and took a small sip.  “Wonderful.”  As Asuka moved to stand,  Mr. Tanaka gestured to one of the chairs and asked, “Won’t you stay, Mrs. Ito?  What I have come to ask your husband applies to you as well.”

 

With a demure nod of her head, Asuka sat down and folded her hands over her lap.

 

“Takatori Solutions has been in negotiations with a businessman in England recently, and is prepared to make some sort of deal.  This has been brokered from the very highest levels, so I’m not really privy to what it entails, but I do know that it is very important.  There is some paperwork involved in this final stage, and the President would prefer to send it with a reliable staff member rather than just by international courier.  Since you are such an excellent and trusted employee, you speak English rather well, and have been so recently overworked, it was suggested that you might be a good candidate for this project, and could use it as a small vacation.  The company would be willing to pay for you, and your wife as well, since you still require care, to fly out this afternoon.  If you are willing?”

 

“Mr. Tanaka, sir, I’m stunned.  Are you sure about this?  They really want me to do this?”

 

“Yes, of course, my boy; you are perfect for the job.  The question is, can you be ready to leave in a few hours time?”

 

Ryo looked over to his wife, silently asking for her thoughts.  Asuka smiled and nodded her head to say that she endorsed the plan and would help him.  Looking back to his supervisor, Ryo smiled and said, “Thank you, sir, we would be happy to do this for the company.  When do we leave?”

 

“Excellent.  I have your flight schedule and tickets here.”  He picked up his briefcase and, after setting his tea aside, balanced the case on his lap and opened it.  “Mr. Takatori is sending a private car to bring the case to you and to take you to Narita.  You will be met on the other end by a Ms. Mihirogi who, I understand, is something of a personal assistant to Richard Krypton.  You will be taken to his estate to deliver the case and he has offered to let you and your wife stay there and enjoy the countryside for a few days while he looks over the documents.  It isn’t a difficult job, but it is very important for the company.  While you are transporting the case, you must keep control of it at all times.  Never let it out of your sight, and do not examine the contents.  Customs, of course, will want to see the case, but the documents inside will be sealed in secure folders and they won’t open those.  Make sure nothing is removed and everything will be fine.  Once it’s delivered, you and your lovely wife can rest and enjoy yourselves.  Alright?”  He removed a small stack of papers and the airline tickets and placed them on the table in front of him.

 

“Yes, thank you very much, sir.  I won’t let the company down,”  Ryo assured his supervisor.

 

“I know you won’t, Mr. Ito.  I have every faith in you.  Now,” he said as he closed his case and stood.  “I’ll leave you two to start packing.  I’ll call the director to let him know, and you can probably expect the car to arrive in about 90 minutes.  I know that isn’t much time, but please do your best to be ready and don’t forget your passports.”

 

This time Ryo did stand, although he had to brace himself with the side of the couch to keep from swaying.  “Thank you again, sir, for both the opportunity and for coming here in person to meet with me.”

 

“It was no trouble at all.”  Turning to Asuka, he said, “Thank you for your hospitality.”

 

Asuka bowed politely and followed Mr. Tanaka to the door while Ryo waited by the couch.  It didn’t feel right to sit until the man was gone, but Ryo also knew that there was no way he could walk to the door unassisted.  He was feeling a little less tired than he had been, but he was still very dizzy and worried about how he would be able to get through the massive airport.

 

Asuka offered to do all of the packing for them and brought out two bags with their clothing and toiletries and a heavy canvas messenger style bag that she used for their passports, tickets, and other paperwork.  She had also placed the syringe case and the medical documents for it inside before she left the bedroom.  Ryo was in no shape to handle the tickets and watch the company case, so she felt sure that she could convince him to leave the bag to her.

 

Five hours later, Ryo was boarding the plane that would take him to England.  As he took his last few unsteady steps through the gate, he never realized that he was standing on Japanese soil for the last time.  He would never see this country again for the rest of his life.

 

*****

 

“I beg your pardon?” Chloe asked incredulously.  “Did you say ‘Youji Kudou‘?”

 

Mihirogi gave a long, slow blink and a nod.  “The former Balinese of Weiss is coming here to England, and we are to pick him up at the airport.  The problem, of course, being that we don’t believe he knows that he ever was Balinese, and he doesn’t remember Weiss.  He may not even know that he’s coming to stay.”

 

“May I ask,” Free interrupted, “why we did not inform Aya of this event?”

 

“It was a condition of his release from Japan that the former members of Weiss not be on hand to pick him up.  For reasons that I will explain to you in a moment, it was too much of a risk to go against that agreement.  If Aya had known, he would have come with you - Ken as well - and it could have cost Mr. Kudou his life.”

 

“I see.  May I examine the photo?”  Free asked.

 

“Yes, here.”  Mihirogi handed copies of photos to both Chloe and Free.  “You’ll have to help me to identify him at the airport.  These are fairly recent.  We’ve kept Youji under casual surveillance since Aya’s and Ken’s arrival and recruitment.  The reports of Kudou’s amnesia appear to be genuine, but for reasons that are unknown to us, Mamoru Takatori wants him out of Japan rather quickly and rather permanently.  We received communications only yesterday which led to a phone call between Mr. Krypton and Mr. Takatori.  The upshot of the conversation was that if Mr. Kudou didn’t leave Japan and come here within 24 hours, he would be eliminated.”

 

“That bastard promised Ken that he would keep Youji safe,”  Chloe growled.  “Why would he go back on his word after all this time?”

 

“I have the impression from our additional instructions that there may have been some type of incident which precipitated this move.  Even once Mr. Kudou arrives in England, his ‘handler’ will travel with us to the castle and only then, when he is away from the public, will he be safe.  I suspect this person has some weapon or drug that will be used to ensure that he says nothing to the wrong person.”

 

“What are these arrangements we are to provide?”  Free asked.

 

“We are to pick up Mr. Kudou, or as he is apparently called now, Ryo Ito, and the person with whom he is travelling.  We must transport them directly from the airport to KR’s via private car which is soundproofed and which has opaque windows and we must keep Mr. Kudou away from Aya and Ken, at least until reaching the castle.  The implication was that seeing them could trigger some sort of event.  Should he have any kind of outburst while he is in his handler’s custody on the plane, in the airport, or in the car, he may be killed.  We are to permit him no interaction with anyone but ourselves, and he will remain at the castle until his handler leaves.  I really don’t know what else to tell you gentlemen.  I don’t know his state of mind, or what he has been told to get him here.  I don’t even know if he’s coming willingly or if he’s being forced.  We were given very few details outside of our instructions, but Mr. Krypton was willing to take this on to save his life.”

 

“So we really have to be prepared for almost anything, don’t we?”  Chloe asked.

 

“I’m afraid so.  I’m sorry, gentlemen, I don’t like this sort of thing any better than you do and I know that Aya and Ken will be quite angry that they were kept in the dark, but it really is for the best if we can get Mr. Kudou out of Japan alive.”

 

“All’s well that ends well, is that it?  I wonder if Aya will buy that line of reasoning?”  Chloe wondered aloud.

 

“I believe that once Aya hears all the details of this mission, the person he will be most upset with will not be you or I, Chloe, but Mamoru Takatori,”  Free stated as he passed the photograph back to Mihirogi.  “I would suggest we limit any leading conversation with him, and allow him to speak first until we have a better idea what is going on.”

 

“Excellent point, Free.  Not knowing what he has been told, we could very easily say the wrong thing if we aren’t careful.”  Two sets of eyes turned and looked to Chloe.

 

“Why, may I ask, is everyone looking at me.  I am capable of keeping my mouth...not saying anything...oh, fine, never mind.  I’ll be a good boy, but only until we get to the castle,”  Chloe finally conceded.  “Look, I’ll even turn my cell phone off so that the devil can’t tempt me.”

 

A smile gracing his face, Free agreed, “That is probably a wise idea, Chloe,” and moved to turn his phone off as well.

 

They reached the airport more than an hour before the flight’s scheduled arrival time, so after being dropped off, Mihirogi made arrangements to call the vehicle back after their guests made it through customs.  A convenient coffee shop was located within sight of an arrivals board not overly far from the exit for international arrivals, so the trio ordered drinks and settled back to wait. 

 

Chloe was agitated and annoyed that it would not be possible to talk to Ken until after they arrived at the castle.  As late as that would be, Ken and Aya would already be pacing the floors, and livid that they had gone silent and not phoned in sooner.  To make matters worse, he didn’t know when he would be allowed to give them the explanation that they deserved for his sudden disappearance with Free.

 

The time passed slowly, but eventually their wait came to an end.  The three moved to the area for international arrivals and positioned themselves to see the inbound passengers.  With his atypical height and honey blond hair, Youji wasn’t very difficult to spot amongst the other Japanese passengers and Mihirogi sent the page to the car before approaching the couple.

 

“Excuse me, are you Ito Ryo?” she asked.

 

“Yes, would you happen to be Ms. Mihirogi?” Ryo responded.

 

“I am indeed, Mr. Ito.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.  These are my associates, Chloe and Free.  And this is…?”  Mihirogi gestured at Asuka and waited for Ryo to identify the person she assumed to be his handler.

 

“Oh, excuse me,” Ito explained as he gestured with his free hand toward the woman pushing their luggage. “This is my wife, Asuka.  My employer was very generous and offered to pay for her to come with me.  Since I have to wait for Mr. Krypton to finish with the documents before I can return, they suggested that we could take a little vacation while we are here.”

 

“How very generous of your employer.  There are certainly many interesting things to see and do while you are here.  I’m certain that my associates would be happy to assist you in planning any side trips you might wish to take while you are here.”

 

“Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you.”  Ryo stopped momentarily and fought off a yawn.  “Oh, pardon me, it’s been a very long day and I…”

 

“No, not at all, forgive me for making you wait.  If you are ready to follow me, I will take you to the car and we’ll be on our way.”

 

As Mihirogi lead the way, Free and Chloe trailed behind the Ito couple and observed both his unsteady gait, and how his wife, Asuka, kept one arm firmly wrapped around her husband’s and with the other maintained a death grip on her bag.  Free and Chloe took charge of the luggage, and as the driver was placing the suitcases into the trunk of the limousine, Chloe turned to Asuka and asked, “Would you like me to put that bag in with the luggage for you?  It looks rather cumbersome for the car.”

 

“Ah, no, thank you,” she answered in broken English as she gripped the bag tighter to her side.

 

“Shall we?”  Mihirogi asked as she stood by the open car door and gestured inside. 

 

Mihirogi had planned on trying to split up the couple somehow, but Youji had gotten in first and was sitting on the far side of the seat so as to lean against the side of the car.  His wife slid in next to him and continued to hold the arm that did not contain the briefcase.  Mihirogi opted to take the seat opposite Ryo and motioned Free to sit next to her, across from Asuka.  When Chloe began to step into the car, Mihirogi looked pointedly at the seat next to Mrs. Ito, and noticing her glance, he did so.

 

A strange quiet settled over the car as it moved through the city and out into the countryside.  Unwilling to risk provoking a problem, the three members of Krypton Brand remained quiet and observed their passengers.  They answered questions but asked very little.  Asuka seemed content to sit quietly and Ryo seemed too tired and disoriented to focus for more than a few minutes at a time on any conversation.  Eventually everyone gave up trying to engage the man and let him sleep until they arrived at the castle. 

 

As the car passed over the bridge leading up to the Krypton Estate, Mihirogi leaned forward and gently nudged Ryo’s leg.  “Mr. Ito.  I’m sorry to wake you, but we are only a few minutes away.”

 

Ryo seemed embarrassed to have discovered that he had been sleeping, and clutched tightly at the briefcase on his lap.

 

“Forgive me,” she continued, “I only wanted to ask you if there was anything that you or your wife would require before we escort you to your room?”

 

“Ah, well, I was given to understand that Mr. Krypton would want the documents right away.  Will I be seeing him this evening, or should I hold onto this until morning?  If he’s already gone to bed, maybe…”  He trailed off, seeming unsure of what to say next.

 

“Of course, that will be no problem at all.  I only asked because you seemed so tired from your trip and I’m certain that Mr. Krypton wouldn’t mind waiting if you weren’t up to it at the moment.”

 

“No, I’m fine.  I would much prefer to deliver these, if that would be all right?”

 

“I’ll call the house and let them know we’re arriving.”  Taking her phone from her handbag, Mihirogi dialed the number for Richard Krypton’s study and waited for him to pick up. 

 

“Yes, Mihirogi.  Is everything all right there?”

 

“We will be arriving shortly, sir.  Mr. Ito is prepared to bring the documents to you when we arrive.  Shall I escort him to the office, or would you prefer to see him elsewhere?”

 

“I see.  So he thinks that he’s here as a courier?  Very well then, bring him to the office.  Perhaps Takatori has some explanation contained within the papers as to what exactly he’s up to and what he wants from us.”

 

“That’s right, sir.  Most definitely.  I’ll bring him round in a few minutes.”

 

“You’re on the hill already then?  Very good.  Goodbye.”

 

After she heard the connection sever, Mihirogi pushed ‘end’ and closed her phone.  She noticed in looking back over at the couple that Asuka was no longer clinging to her husband and was sitting up in preparation to leave the car.

 

The car arrived at the castle with a flurry of activity.  Servants were present to take charge of the luggage and inquire if any food or beverages would be needed.  Chloe offered to escort Mrs. Ito to the guest room while Free and Mihirogi continued on in the direction of the study with Ryo.  They arrived to find the door of the study open and Richard Krypton waiting inside. 

 

“Mr. Krypton?”  Ryo asked.

 

“Yes, please come in. You must be Mr. Ito.”  KR rose from his chair and walked around the large desk to greet his sudden houseguest.

 

With a small bow, Ryo extended the hand with the briefcase and said, “Yes, sir.  Here is the case with the documents that you have been waiting for.”

 

“Thank you for coming all this way to bring these to me.  It was most kind of your employer to extend that courtesy.”

 

“I was told that you might need for me to carry some documents back to Japan, and that you had arranged to have us stay here in your home while you look these over.  I want to thank you very much for your kind offer.” 

 

KR waved his free hand in a dismissive gesture.  “It’s nothing at all, my boy.  The house is large and quiet, and I hope that you both are comfortable and enjoy your stay here.  As a matter of fact, why don’t I have Free here show you to your room right now.  You look dead on your feet, and we can talk more in the morning after you’ve had a chance to rest.”

 

Despite his exhaustion, Ryo wanted to make a good impression on Mr. Takitori’s behalf and so he hesitated.  “Are you’re certain that you don’t need me to…”

 

Krypton interrupted him before Ryo could speak further, “Go. Get some sleep.  It’s fine.  We’ll talk tomorrow.”

 

Too tired to continue worrying whether leaving so quickly would seem rude and tarnish his company’s image, Ryo nodded and said, “Good night, sir,” before turning to follow Free from the room.

 

After he left, Mihirogi closed the door and stood waiting for her employer’s orders.  “Keep an eye out as best you can,” Krypton instructed as he returned to his chair.  “I imagine the person he came with will still be watching until such time as he decides to leave.”

 

“About that sir; his handler...it’s his wife.”

 

If Richard Krypton was appalled at that revelation, his discovery on opening the briefcase didn’t improve his attitude at all.  Amidst sheets of blank paper in folders were a few pages of paper with writing.  One contained the numbers of an overseas bank account with, while not a large one, a respectable balance.  The others were documents pertaining to the death of one Ito Ryo, who died overseas in a car accident.  The papers were perfect copies of British legal documents and contained forgeries of all the appropriate signatures.  The briefcase contained no letters, no history, nothing of personal interest from the man who was once a member of Weiss and now stood apart from them.

 

*****

 

Chloe now sat alone in his room, staring at his phone in one hand and a zippered case in the other. 

 

When Chloe and Asuka had arrived in the guest room assigned to the Ito couple, Chloe had made it crystal clear to the woman that she could hand over the contents of her bag or he would rifle the luggage himself.

 

Having accomplished her mission and clearly eager to be rid of it, she had poured the contents of the messenger bag out onto the bed.  Aside from the passports and ticket stubs, the only item of real interest had been the pouch.  She warned him to handle it carefully as the contents were unmarked and lethal.  Not knowing how much time he had, Chloe didn’t bother to examine it in the room, in case Ryo was already on his way to join them. 

 

Chloe took the small case and retreated to his own room to wait for Free or Mihirogi to arrive.  Now he sat on the bed and stared alternately at it, and then the phone, blinking its accusatory missed call symbol over and over.  Should he call the house?  What could he say to them, knowing what he did now, and not betray them?  He had spent so much of today wanting to talk to Ken and now the thought of calling him made him sick to his stomach. 

 

When Free finally arrived, Chloe handed the phone to him and asked him to call Aya.  It was cowardly, he knew, but he couldn’t face it.  After assuring the household that they were fine, Chloe overheard Free tell Aya that Chloe would call Ken in the morning.  Chloe nodded to him gratefully, knowing that he should have asked him to say that in the first place.  Free was a good friend and tended to save him from himself more often than he deserved.  When Free ended the call and passed the phone back to him, Chloe looked up at him and said, “When we get back, remind me that I owe you a shift in the shop for that.”

 

“You must be overly tired or in shock to make such a foolish offer, my friend.  What is wrong?”

 

Chloe held up the small pouch so that it was visible.  “This.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Death.”  Chloe stopped after one word and gave a sniff of derision before continuing,  “He loves her and she was carrying this around.  She handed it over to me easily enough, and she wouldn’t have been happy to use it, I’ll admit that, but she would have done it.  She would have killed her husband if Takatori had ordered it, had accepted the command if the conditions for it had occurred.  Is that love?  Is that what you get?”

 

“Do not mistake this for love, Chloe.  He loves her, that is true, but the relationship is based on a lie and she does not return the same kind of devotion.  You cannot gauge the power or weakness of the emotion based on what you have seen today.”  Holding out his left hand he said, “Give me the pouch and I will take it to Mihirogi.”

 

Chloe handed the pouch to Free and said, “Be careful with it.  I think it contains some sort of hypodermic with a fast-acting agent.  She said that they were unmarked, so if we want to know for certain, they’ll have to be sent to the lab for analysis.”

 

Nodding his understanding, Free took the pouch in his left hand and gestured to Chloe’s phone with his right.  “Talk to Ken tomorrow.  Rest tonight and call him in the morning.”

 

Chloe waited for Free to leave before putting the phone down on the nightstand.  He thought about just lying down as he was and going to sleep, but thought better of it and took the time to undress and put on a robe.  It was fortunate that they had ended up at the castle, where they all kept a few supplies put away for the occasions when they would visit.  Using his spare toothbrush, Chloe cleaned his teeth and washed up first before falling into bed. 

 

As Chloe tried to sleep, visions of Ken’s smiling face transformed into the pained expression he’d worn when recounting his past with Kase and Omi.  More than once, Chloe woke in a cold sweat from nightmares in which the picture of a smiling Ryo Ito and his faithless wife morphed into one of himself standing over Ryo’s body with Asuka kneeling next to him, still holding the syringe. 

 

He had started the day thinking of love as something wonderful, and now...

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Asuka Ito awoke early the next morning and slid carefully out from between the sheets.  She knew that if she stayed in the bed until Ryo awoke, he would want to engage in his usual round of morning intercourse.  She just didn’t think that she could take that, today of all days.  She was also eager to find and talk to Richard Krypton.  Asuka knew that there would be questions she would have to answer before they would let her leave, and she wanted out of the estate, and England, as quickly as possible.

 

With care, Asuka quietly opened one suitcase and located the single change of clothing she had packed for herself.  The rest of the luggage contained only Ryo’s clothing.  Knowing well in advance that she wasn’t staying, Asuka thought it would be kinder to at least pack as much of Ryo’s favorite clothing as she could fit into the cases.  The canvas messenger bag she’d carried with her was sufficient to contain her wallet, passport, ticket, and the papers that would return with her to Japan.   Yesterday’s outfit and the travel toiletries she’d packed she would simply leave behind.  Checking to be certain that she still had Ryo’s passport as well, Asuka put everything into the bag and moved to the bathroom attached to their room to shower and change.

 

Getting past Ryo would be more difficult, now that he was no longer receiving the sedatives.  The lengthy flight combined with the remnants of the medication in his system had made him overly tired, though, and he was still sleeping peacefully when Asuka snuck past and walked out the door.  Once in the hallway, she tried to remember the path back to the front door.  Asuka had no idea where Richard Krypton might be or where the office was located, but assumed she would find a staff member at some point to direct her.

 

She was wandering the wide, well-lit, art-filled halls, when she finally came across a familiar face.  “Mr. Free, wasn’t it?” Asuka inquired of the tall man in front of her.

 

“It’s just Free, Mrs. Ito.  How may I assist you?”

 

“I’d...I’d like to see Mr. Krypton.  If that’s possible?” she asked hesitantly.

 

“Yes.  Please follow me.”

 

Asuka walked cautiously behind the man who moved at a leisurely pace around the large building.  Eventually the pair reached an open door and Free knocked twice on its frame as he entered the room.  The man she assumed to be Richard Krypton was seated behind a large desk and the woman who had collected them, Mihirogi, was in a chair facing him.  Both stood as Free and Asuka entered the room.

 

“I assume that this must be Mrs. Ito?”  Krypton asked of no one in particular.

 

Free inclined his head once before turning and moving to a corner of the room, where he leaned casually against the wall.

 

Mihirogi moved away from the chair she had been using and pointed Asuka toward it.  “Please, do sit down.”  Collecting the pad and pen she had been using when the pair arrived, she moved over to a sofa at the side of the office and made herself comfortable.

 

Asuka walked forward and took the indicated seat.  She appeared to be nervous, and clutched tightly onto her small bag.  Gathering her courage, she started to speak.  “I would like to leave as soon as possible, if that would be all right?”

 

“Yes, I imagine that you would, and I will have someone take you back to the airport via helicopter in a few minutes.  But I would like to ask you some questions first, if I may?”

 

She sighed.  She had expected this, but that didn’t make it any easier.  There were so few things that she could tell him anyway.  Resigned to do her best to answer, so that she could leave quickly, she responded, “Yes, I’ll tell you everything I can; but I warn you, it isn’t much.”

 

“Let’s start with the state of Mr. Ito’s health, if we may?  I gather that you people have been drugging him recently, from his appearance last night.”

 

“He did have one last dose of a minor sedative on the plane to help keep him quiet, but all the major drugs were suspended several hours before the flight began.  We wanted him to be passive but functional for the flight.  He hasn’t been on them for very long, so there should be no long-term side effects.  If you are curious as to what he was given, all the bottles are still located in the luggage.  There was one other drug that he was given at the hospital the night that this all began.  I can’t tell you with assurance what was used, but I would assume that it was probably an injection of midazolam, before questioning.  It creates a period of amnesia for 30 to 60 minutes after injection, but has no other lasting effects.”

 

“And the syringes that you carried with you?”  Krypton asked.

 

Asuka lowered her head and stared at the front of his desk.  She couldn’t meet his eyes as she told him what she suspected.  “Again, I don’t really know.  Mr. Takatori didn’t tell me.  He said that the blue one was a fast acting sedative, which is most likely pentobarbital, and that the red marked syringe was...well he didn’t come out and say it, but the implication was that it was the one to use in the event that Ryo had to be killed.”

 

“I see.”  There was a long pause as everyone in the room thought about the confirmation of their suspicions.  “And what of his health in general?”

 

“He’s very healthy.  He no longer smokes and he exercises regularly.  His last physical came back perfect for a man of his age and history.”

 

“Very good.  Do you happen to know why Mr. Takatori was so anxious to be rid of Mr. Ito?”

 

“Yes.  Up until this week, Ryo has had no memories whatsoever of his life before his head injury.  Things that he had learned, like English, or math, how to cook, and so on, things of that nature were unaffected, but his memory of people and specific events seemed to be gone.  Somehow, he wandered into a flower shop a few days ago called ‘Kitten’s House’.  I don’t really know what the significance of this place is, but Mr. Takatori was extremely upset to hear that Ryo had gone there.  When he arrived home late that evening, Ryo was very agitated, pale and shaking, and he had a bad headache.  He was taken to the hospital to evaluate whether or not the incident might have triggered a memory, and if it were possible that more would be likely to follow.  I wasn’t given the details of his examination, but the fact that we are here leads me to think that it was considered possible.”

 

“Did Mamoru Takatori give you any message to pass along?  Are there any further details of which I should be aware?”

 

“No, sir, I’m sorry, he didn’t send any messages to you specifically.  The only condition remaining now is that Ryo must never return to Japan.  If he does, then Mr. Takatori will have no choice but to have him killed.”  Asuka’s eyes shifted back up to look at Richard Krypton.  “Will you give Ryo a message for me?  Will you tell him that I’m sorry?”

 

“I think that you should tell him that yourself, Mrs. Ito.  Ryo is going to be very upset and very disoriented in the coming weeks.  He won’t understand why you aren’t here, and if you leave without telling him anything, he will never trust us.  If you want us to help him, and I believe that you do, you must tell him goodbye yourself.”

 

There is a vast difference between knowing that something is the truth, and wanting to hear it said.  Asuka knew that Krypton was right.  She owed this to Ryo.  Without this, there might not be a chance for him to start over, but she didn’t want to do it.  Everything within her wanted to run away and avoid seeing the pain in the eyes of the man that she knew loved her.  She also knew that she would not be allowed to leave unless she did as Richard Krypton had asked so she nodded her head and stood from her chair.

 

“I’ll have the helicopter ready and waiting for you, so that you may leave when you are done.  Chloe will take you back to the airport and see you safely on your way.  Free will escort you back to your room now to talk to Ryo.  Goodbye, Mrs. Ito.”

 

She didn’t answer verbally, only nodded her head again and turned to follow Free back down the hallway.

 

Mihirogi approached the desk, picked up the phone, and punched in the three digit code for Chloe’s room.  When he answered the phone, she ordered, “Get up and dressed.  You’re leaving on the helicopter with Mrs. Ito in fifteen minutes,” and then hung up.  Turning back to her employer, she observed, “This isn’t going to be pretty.”

 

“No, it’s not,” he agreed.  “But, unfortunately, I think it is necessary; both for Kudou’s sake as well as our own.  He will feel betrayed either way, but this way he’ll have some answers and they’ll come from someone who, at least for now, he is familiar with and trusts.  If you wouldn’t mind, Mihirogi, I think that you ought to go along with Free, just in case.  I have a feeling that it may require more than one person to deal with this when she goes to leave.  I’ll phone the pilot and start searching for specialists while you are gone.  I think we should have Youji evaluated as soon as possible.”

 

“On my way, sir.”  Mihirogi left the room and made her way to the guest wing, arriving only shortly after Free, who was still standing outside.  “Why are you out here?”

 

“She had to wake him.  I’m waiting until he dresses, and then we will all sit down together.”

 

“She hasn’t said anything yet?”

 

“No, I believe not.  She seems concerned for his reaction, so I don’t think she will speak until we are there to protect her.”

 

As the pair were walking into the bedroom, Chloe stopped by to pick up Mrs. Ito, and decided to join them.  Once they were all seated in the room, Asuka began to tell her husband why he had been sent to England.

 

“Ryo, when you woke up in the hospital, you were told that there was no one who knew who you were.  We told you that no one knew what had happened to you.  That wasn’t exactly true.  I wasn’t told anything about your past, but I know that Mr. Takatori knows who you were.  The doctors said that you wouldn’t get your memory back, without some sort of therapy at the very least, but he didn’t want you to remember.  He seemed very nice when he asked me to take care of you, so I thought that maybe it was something bad that he thought you were better off forgetting.  The day that you came home from the flower shop was the first time that I realized that what he was doing wasn’t protecting you at all, but himself.  You’re a good man, Ryo, and I’m ashamed that I was a part of doing this to you, but believe me when I tell you that you’ll be much better off here.  You can’t go back to Japan, ever, but you can start a new life here.  The people here seem to be very nice and they offered to take you in, so they must want to help you.  I wish that I could tell you more, but I don’t know who you were or why Mr. Takatori would want to kill you.  I only know that I was ordered to bring you here and leave you, and I hope that, someday, you can forgive me.”

 

Four pairs of eyes were watching the former assassin as he sat across the room, and they wondered what his reaction would be.  When he finally looked back up from his clutched hands to the face of his wife, there were tears in his eyes.  “Asuka?  I’m trying to understand what you’re saying, but it just doesn’t make sense to me.  You’re saying that the company sent me here to get rid of me?  What about the documents that I was bringing for the business deal?”

 

“There isn’t any business deal, Mr. Ito,” Mihirogi answered.  “Most of the paper in the case was blank; the rest were copies of forged documents describing how you had a fatal car accident while travelling in England.  I suspect that by tomorrow, these will be used to explain your disappearance from the life you knew in Japan.”

 

“But why?  He paid for my medical bills, for you to be a private nurse until I was out of the hospital, he even gave me a job at his company.  I owe him everything.  Why would he think that even if I remembered something that I wouldn’t be loyal to him?”  Youji asked in confusion.

 

Asuka responded, “I can’t answer you, Ryo.  I was only told enough to take care of you and to keep an eye on you.  If you showed any sign of getting your memory back, I had to report it right away.  It’s odd that he called me first the night that you came home late.  It was like he already knew that something was wrong, and he was very upset.”

 

“Why would you call him?  You didn’t work for him anymore.  You worked for the hospital.”

 

“Ryo, I never stopped working for him.  Taking care of you has been my job, my real job, since we met.”

 

Ryo stared at his wife in stunned silence, trying to process the information he was receiving.  “All...alright.  If that’s the way things are right now, then we’ll come up with something.  We’re away from Mr. Takatori and Japan now, so we’ll just start over.  If these people are really that interested in helping us, then I’ll get a new job and we’ll start over here.  It doesn’t really matter where I am, as long as I’m with you.  Maybe they’ll let us stay here until I can save enough money to move out and buy a house for you here.  You’re a nurse, we can find you a job anywhere, right?  We’ll…”

 

“No, Ryo.  I’m not staying here.”

 

“Asuka, please.  I can’t do this without you.  Why would you want to go back there?  We could have a good life here, I promise.  I’ll find a way to make all of this up to you.  Stay with me.  I love you.”

 

Chloe watched Youji’s face.  The way he said ‘I love you’, the look of sincerity in his eyes, actually hurt him.  Not so very long ago, someone had said that to him, and he had never answered.  Now, he couldn’t bear to watch as Youji waited and hoped to hear the words repeated back to him.  When Asuka grabbed her bag and tried to walk to the door, Chloe grabbed her arm and leaned over her.  “Say something to him,” he growled in her ear.

 

The grip on her arm was painful and would leave bruises.  Why did this man care what she said to Ryo?  He showed no sign of letting go, though, so she turned to face the man she had called her husband until this morning.  “It was my job, Ryo.  I didn’t want them to hurt you, so I helped to get you out of the country, but now I have to go back.  I care about you, Ryo, but I don’t love you.”  Turning back to Chloe she whispered angrily, “Can we go now?”

 

Chloe released the woman’s arm and watched as she stalked out of the room and down the hall.  Youji lunged out of his chair and tried to follow, but Free and Mihirogi managed to restrain him.  Taking one final look at the shattered face of the former Weiss, Chloe turned to follow Asuka and lead her to the helicopter. 

 

It occurred to him as the castle receded from sight below them that he had never gotten the chance to call Ken, and now being in the helicopter all the way back to London, he still couldn’t until after he put Asuka on her flight back to Japan.  Chloe wasn’t even certain what to say to his lover, but he knew that his phone had never felt so heavy in his pocket before this day.

 

*****

 

It was a very grumpy Chloe that walked back through the doors of Richard Krypton’s home that evening.  He had gotten a very poor night’s sleep thanks to some rather disturbing nightmares.  He had barely had time for more than a quick wash, so he felt filthy.  And being forced to spend time in the company of the woman who had broken the heart of his lover’s friend had done nothing to improve his disposition either. 

 

He was very hungry.  There was absolutely nothing but coffee and tea in the airport that he was willing to risk, and he had skipped breakfast in his haste to get Asuka away.  The headache he was sporting may have been the result of missed meals, but Chloe was sure the time trapped inside the noisy helicopter hadn’t helped either. 

 

His chief complaint of the day, however, had been trying to call Ken before he headed back to the castle and not being able to find anyone.  He tried the house, the shop, and both Aya’s and Ken’s cell phones.  No one had answered at any of the numbers.  Now that he was back at the castle, he would try again, but first he would let KR know that he had returned and that Asuka Ito was finally gone.

 

Chloe’s thoughts were distracted and so he paid little attention to the fact that KR was speaking to someone in his office.  The door was open, so he presumed it was probably either Mihirogi or Free.  If it had been anything important, the door would have been shut, so Chloe breezed into the room and didn’t stop until he saw the red hair in the chair in front of the desk.  

 

Aya was here. 

 

Chloe watched as Aya unfolded himself from the chair.  His movements all slow, careful, and deliberate, Aya turned and stared at Chloe with a steely gaze fixed on his face.  Aya Fujimiya was not a happy man.  As his teammate took first one step and then another in his direction, Chloe’s mind tried to think of something to say.  “Aya…” was all he managed to get out. 

 

Chloe was so fixated on his friend that he never noticed the approach of the brunette coming up fast from his left side.  Suddenly, Aya’s face spun away from him as Chloe was grabbed from the side and forcibly turned.  He never really saw the fist that connected with his jaw, but Chloe did remember thinking that he had never really noticed before how very interesting the ceiling of KR’s office was.  And then he blacked out.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

“Try not to move around too much,” the voice directed him.

 

When Chloe flinched away from the cold sensation on his jaw, he was forced to realize the wisdom of that statement.  There was a pain in the back of his head that threatened to make him nauseous when he moved.  When he tried to open his mouth to ask what had happened, Chloe realized that the cold on his jaw was most likely an ice pack, and it was there for good reason.  Prying one eye open, he saw that Free was sitting near him and keeping watch.

 

“Between you and Youji Kudou, I have had my fill of watching people today.”

 

Chloe chuckled a little and reached up slowly to move the bag of ice away from his face.  “Why, Free,” he spoke weakly, “you actually sound a little...petulant.”

 

“I think after the events of today, I could be forgiven for being annoyed at having to deal with the antics of the overgrown children who pass themselves off as my teammates.”

 

“Hey, what did I do?”  Chloe whined, feeling unjustly accused.

 

“You failed to call Ken this morning, as had been agreed upon.  Do not tell me that you did not have time.  I am aware that you were roused early and spent the morning escorting Mrs. Ito to the airport, but you could have asked me to call for you before you left, and you did not.  You were avoiding talking to him last night, and you were doing it again today.”

 

Chloe couldn’t really deny the truth of the statement, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t still try to find a way around it.  “I tried to call after I put Asuka on the plane; no one was answering any of the phones.”

 

“No, they were not.  By that time, they were on their way here and wanted their explanations in person.  I know this has been difficult, Chloe.  But try to see this from their perspective, would you?  Your actions have made a bad situation worse.”

 

“I know,” Chloe admitted.  “How are Ken and Aya doing?”

 

“Ken and I have had a little talk and I think he is fine now, although he is still rather put out.  Aya...is strangely quiet.  There is some anger there, but it is not directed at any of us.  I had thought that he was angry with Takatori, which would be most understandable; however, I believe the person he is most angry with may be himself.  For whatever reason, there is a great deal of guilt going on in his mind right now.”

 

“And Youji?”

 

“Mr. Kudou is with Dr. Ganson right now.  He is very upset, but doing fairly well, given the circumstances.  The doctor would like to avoid giving him any sedatives if at all possible, given the amount he has already received this week, so several of us are taking it in turns to sit with him.  Michel even managed to get him to smile once.  KR has arranged for psychiatric and neurological specialists to consult with Dr. Ganson tomorrow for a more thorough evaluation of his state and to arrange a course of treatment.”

 

The pain had finally settled down to a dull ache, so Chloe decided to try sitting up.  With Free’s help he managed to get upright and found that while his head hurt, it wasn’t as bad as he feared.

 

“The doctor is coming in to see you as soon as she is finished with our guest.  I do not believe that you have a concussion, but it was considered prudent to have you checked, as long as the doctor was here.  Stay seated until she arrives.”  Free stood up and walked toward the door.

 

“You’re leaving?”

 

“Yes.  I will be spending the night watching over Mr. Kudou, so I need to get a few things from my own room and be back before the doctor leaves.  I will see you tomorrow, most likely.  Have a good night, my friend.”

 

Chloe waved back to Free as the other man walked out the door.  He was glad to see that Free seemed less irritated with him by the time he left than he had when he’d come around.  He didn’t like the thought of an annoyed Free. 

 

*****

 

The doctor pronounced Chloe to be fine.  A few over-the-counter pain killers, a good night’s sleep, and he could expect to go back to his normal routine in the morning.  As soon as he was alone, Chloe stripped out of his clothes and staggered to the bathroom. 

 

The growing bruise on his jaw annoyed him enough to remind him about the pain pills, but it was the lure of the shower that had called to him the most.  Chloe turned the water on and took his medication while he waited for the shower to warm up.  There was still some residual dizziness from the blow to his head, so he was careful getting into the shower, but once inside closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of the hot water running over his skin. 

 

He hated feeling dirty.  In Chloe’s opinion, clean sheets and a hot shower ranked right up there with the greatest pleasures of life, and he luxuriated in both of them whenever possible.  The last twenty-four hours had been hideous and Chloe was determined to wash it away with mounds of frothy soap bubbles.  The rhythmic motion of his hands sliding fragrant shower gel over his skin, coupled with the hot water, loosened Chloe’s tense muscles and relaxed his mind. 

 

Chloe took his time as he washed his hair and body, enjoying the feel of his own hands as they traced over him.  Languid and loose by the time he finished rinsing off the last of the soap and conditioner, Chloe ran his hands down his chest and over his cock purely for pleasure’s sake.  He had taken a few strokes with a loose fist when Chloe felt the sensation of being watched.  Opening his eyes, Chloe spotted Ken staring at him from the doorway with an unreadable expression.

 

“Should I be jealous?” Ken asked.

 

“Possibly,” Chloe retorted over the sound of the water.  “Would you like to come in?  Or shall I come out?”

 

When Ken replied, “Both,” shortly before turning and leaving the bathroom, Chloe took heart that perhaps the night was starting to look up after all.  He dried quickly and noted that Ken had brought his robe into the bathroom and left it draped over the edge of the towel bar for him.  Slipping it on to hold in the heat, Chloe returned to the bedroom to face his lover.

 

Ken was seated on the bed, still dressed except for his shoes.  Chloe smiled.  Regardless of how long Ken stayed in England, he might never fully adapt to the idea of leaving his shoes on inside the living areas of the house.  Chloe approached the bed and sat down beside Ken. 

 

“How’s your head?” Ken asked.

 

“I’ll live, though I won’t be my usual gorgeous self for a day or two.  Truth be told, when I heard what the assignment was, I rather assumed something like this would happen.  I just thought it would be Aya’s fist print that I’d be sporting, rather than yours.”

 

“I am pissed off about Youji, but that’s not the only reason why I decked you.  You guys did what you had to do, and while I don’t have to like it, I understand it now.  I also hit you because you...you…”

 

“Acted like an ass and pissed you off again.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You are so beautiful when you’re mad.”

 

“You’ve got to find another way to get turned on, Chloe.  This is bad for both of us.”

 

“Yes, but let’s not waste this.”  Grabbing Ken’s shirt with both hands, Chloe pulled him closer and kissed him.  The sight and smell of Ken next to him drove away all the thoughts he had carried in his mind since he first heard Mihirogi speak Youji’s name.  He wanted Ken and the oblivion of thought that could only be obtained in the rush of sexual ecstasy. 

 

Ken’s body was tense, and the way he grabbed at Chloe’s head and held it while he kissed him back, spoke of a lingering anger.  So much the better, Chloe thought.  That passion would just make their encounter that much more mind-numbing.

 

Chloe moved his hands to the bottom of Ken’s shirt and started to lift it.  They broke the kiss just long enough to tug the garment over Ken’s head and then returned to devouring each other’s mouths.  Deft fingers worked at the button and zipper of Ken’s pants while Ken tore open the front of the robe and forced it from Chloe’s shoulders.  Pushing Chloe down onto the bed, Ken stood and removed his pants, underwear and socks and attacked Chloe’s prone form.

 

Ken bit down deeply on Chloe’s shoulder and sucked to raise a bruise.  Chloe drove his hips up into Ken and moaned at the painful but arousing sensation.  “Fuck me, Ken.  I need you to fuck me now.”

 

Startled, Ken pulled back and looked at Chloe, some of the intensity lifting from his eyes at the other man’s words.  “Are you sure?  We haven’t talked about…”

 

“When was the last time you bottomed, Ken?”

 

“Kase.”

 

“Then fuck me, but I need you and I need you now.”

 

There was something in Chloe’s eyes.  Ken wasn’t sure that he liked the desperation that he saw there, but hoped that it was only sexual frustration.  Lifting himself off Chloe, he went to the backpack that he’d brought with him from home and reached for the bottle of lube.  As he returned to the bed, he broke the seal and spread the gel over his fingers, testing the consistency. 

 

Leaning over Chloe, Ken kissed the inside of his thigh before spreading some of the lube on Chloe’s opening.  Slowly, Ken worked first one finger and then a second inside Chloe’s body.  Spreading the lube and scissoring his fingers, he loosened his lover and prepared him.  When he pulled back and reached for the bottle to prep himself, Chloe grabbed his arm and stopped him.

 

“Wait.  Do you have a condom?”  Chloe asked.

 

“No...I...damn, I’m sorry, I didn’t think…”

 

“Here.  Nightstand.  Top drawer,”  Chloe breathed out.

 

“I’m so sorry.  I haven’t been with anyone since I was tested last year so I just didn’t think about it,” he apologized as he wiped his hands on a tissue and rolled off the bed, reaching for the drawer.  Finding the condoms, he tore one packet off the strip and turned back to the bed. 

 

Chloe snatched the condom out of Ken’s hand.  As he tore the pouch open and unrolled the condom over Ken’s erection he spoke, “Not you, Ken.  I’m not worried about you, but for you.  It’s been a while since I’ve been tested.  I’m sorry.” 

 

The burning heat had already left Ken’s eyes and now the guilt fled as well.  Chloe saw only a sad tenderness in Ken’s face as Ken reached forward and ran a hand past Chloe’s cheek and through his hair.  “Don’t look at me like that,” Chloe chided as he ducked away and rolled over, “just get up here and fuck me into the mattress already.”

 

Chloe raised himself onto his knees, with his elbows on the pillows.  When Ken joined him on the bed, he started to ask, “Wouldn’t you rather…,” and realized that Chloe was avoiding meeting his eyes.  Too much closeness maybe, Ken thought.  He wants the intimacy, but he’s afraid of it, just like he was afraid of hurting me over the condoms.  “Okay, let’s try this,” Ken suggested.  Pulling Chloe upright, Ken moved the pillows away from the head of the bed and urged Chloe forward.  “Spread your legs and hold the headboard.”

 

Chloe shifted into position and Ken moved in behind him.  Putting a pillow between Chloe’s knees to adjust his own height, Ken spread Chloe’s cheeks and thrust himself forward into his lover’s body.  Chloe held tight to the headboard as the pair adjusted to the slightly awkward position and developed a rhythm. 

 

When Chloe started to shout, “Harder!” back at him, Ken gripped his own hands around the headboard and pulled himself deeper inside Chloe’s body.  The power of his thrusts pushed Chloe forward and up and he was eventually forced to brace his forearms against the wall. 

 

Ken nipped at the back of Chloe’s neck and panted, “Touch yourself,” into his ear between thrusts.  Chloe reached down and began to stroke his own erection as Ken slammed into his body harder and harder.  When Ken finally found the right angle, Chloe’s soft grunts changed to loud moans and Ken sped up to force Chloe to the edge.  As he reached his own limits, Ken demanded, “I want to hear you scream, Chloe,” and bit down hard on the back of Chloe’s neck as he took his own final thrusts. 

 

Driven by Ken’s verbal demand and the deliciously painful sting of his lover’s teeth, Chloe passed his point of no return just as Ken reached his own climax and their screams merged as their bodies already had.  Exhausted, Ken slumped forward over Chloe’s back and held tightly to the headboard to keep himself upright.  Chloe panted into the wall and finally released his grip on his cock to regain his own hold on the headboard with a sticky hand.  “Eww,” Chloe remarked, “the maids will kill us if we don’t clean this up.”

 

“You aren’t really big on the whole concept of afterglow, are you, Chloe?”

 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to spoil the moment.”

 

Ken withdrew carefully and twisted Chloe around by the shoulders, forcing the other man to face him.  “You didn’t spoil anything.  You were wonderful.”

 

“Of course I was, I’m magnificent,” Chloe quipped.

 

“Chloe, shut up and kiss me.”  Ken pushed his lips onto his lover’s to forestall any more comments, but pulled away when he felt Chloe wince.  Pulling away, Ken saw Chloe put a hand up to his lightly bruised jaw and touch it gingerly.

 

“Maybe we should give up on the kissing for the evening,” Chloe observed.

 

“Yeah, sorry about that.”  Ken apologized bashfully as he crawled off the bed and carefully slid off the condom.  Grabbing a handful of tissues, he passed a few to Chloe while he cleaned himself up with the rest.  “It’s really bad, huh?”

 

“It hurts, but I’ll live.  Tell you what, come wash my back in the shower and give me a massage afterward and we’ll call it even,”  Chloe offered.  There was no reason for Ken to continue kicking himself for something that was over and done, and the misunderstanding was as much Chloe’s fault as Ken’s.

 

Ken sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed.  “Sure...but I don’t think that really makes it even.  I can’t believe I knocked you out.  I’m such a bastard.  What if I’m turning back into that person that I was back…”

 

“Stop.  Before you even get started with that, just stop.”  Chloe finished cleaning himself with the tissues and sat down next to Ken.  “First, you didn’t knock me out.  Apparently when you punched my jaw, I cracked my head on the way down.  Second, I don’t think you’re an abusive person...”

 

“But I hit you. You wouldn’t have cracked your head at all if I hadn’t hit you .  And what about the laundry room?  I threw you up against the wall that night and had an arm over your throat.  There’s got to be something wrong with me.”

 

“In the laundry room, you were naked and felt threatened.  I just don’t think that anyone can hold that against you; I certainly don’t.  Tonight was a huge shock to you.  You just found out that your former teammate, someone you never thought you’d see again, was here in this country and your lover knew and didn’t tell you.  Add to that my continuing to hide, long after I no longer had an excuse and...well, I just don’t blame you.  I wouldn’t have blamed Aya, and he had less reason than you; although Youji was his lover and not just his friend.  If it really worries you and you want to talk about it, to me or anyone else, I’ll support you.  But unless it happens again, I’m not going to say that there’s a problem here.  Alright?”

 

Ken wasn’t responding to him, so Chloe reached out and gently turned Ken’s face toward his own.  “I feel like everything is out of control.  I feel like I’m out of control,”  Ken said mournfully.

 

“I know, and I’m sorry.  It’s been a really stressful month and I haven’t exactly been helping things by being so selfish.  Give it some time, Ken.  Don’t judge yourself by the way things are right now.  None of us is operating well right now, except maybe Free, and I don’t think anything ever disturbs him.”

 

“Yeah.  Aya’s a mess too, Chloe.  I know that Free has tried to talk to him, but he’s getting quiet again, like he used to in the old days.  You’re getting quiet on me, too.”  Chloe affected a look of mock surprise before Ken continued.  “Oh no, you’re every bit as cocky and sarcastic as always.  I mean you’re getting quiet about the important stuff, and you’re shutting down and hiding away from me.  Why?”

 

“You’re right.  Let’s get that shower and get into bed and I’ll tell you all about it.”

 

*****

 

First cleaning up the bed, they then took their shower and Ken gave Chloe his promised massage.  Afterward, they lay wound around each other while Chloe related all that he had seen and heard between Youji and Asuka. 

 

“Poor Youji.  Man, that’s awful.”

 

“It’s criminal.  How could that woman stay with him, sleep with him for so long?  How could she wake up in the morning and tell him that she loved him when she knew that she didn’t?”

 

“That’s what’s really bothering you, isn’t it Chloe?  Why you didn’t call me back?”  Ken asked.  When Chloe nodded silently, he continued, “I didn’t tell you that I loved you to make you upset or to trick you into returning my feelings.  I just wanted to tell you how I felt.  I’m not going to hurt you like that, Chloe.”

 

“I know, it isn’t that, Ken.  It’s just all very bad timing.  I’m trying to feel my way through this and I let myself get sidetracked.  I’ve never been in this position before, and I’m out of my depth.”

 

“No one’s ever told you that they love you, have they?”

 

“No.”

 

“Are you sorry that I told you?” Ken wondered aloud.

 

“No.”

 

“Then what’s wrong?  I don’t understand.” 

 

“I don’t want to ruin what we have, Ken.  I don’t want to do something foolish or cruel and hurt you.  I’m selfish and vain and egotistical and I think that I’m in love with you and it terrifies me beyond belief.”

 

Ken leaned up on one elbow and looked down at Chloe slightly shocked by what he’d just heard.  “You’re afraid of hurting me,” Ken guessed.

 

Chloe shivered with cold that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room and tugged Ken back down into his side.  “You didn’t see that look in Youji’s eyes, Ken.  I can’t get it out of my head, and then somehow it turns into you with that same look, and I want to be sick.  I’d rather let you go now than ever do that to you.”

 

“You won’t,” Ken reassured Chloe with a soft kiss and a smile as he replayed Chloe’s rambling declaration of love in his head.  “We’re a completely screwed up pair, Chloe, I admit it, but somehow, I think we’ll be okay.  Try not to worry about it.  We have time, and it’s going to be a long week.  You just got done telling me to cut myself some slack and it was good advice.  Why don’t you do the same for yourself, and we’ll see how it goes.”  Wrapping his arms around Chloe, Ken continued,  “As weird as things are for us right now, we’re still way better off than Youji and Aya, so try to get some sleep and maybe things will look better in the morning.”

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

The man who had once answered to the name Youji Kudou had a long day ahead of him.  First thing in the morning he had been taken to a large hospital, and his day thereafter had alternated from one type of test to another. 

 

Ryo started with a psychiatrist who asked about his state of mind.  How did he feel about his wife leaving him?  Was he interested in finding out who he used to be?  Did he feel safe and comfortable in his new environment?  How was he adapting to having left Japan?  Ryo supposed that these were all valid questions, and he couldn’t fault their reasons for asking, but how many different ways could you tell someone that you were miserable? 

 

Ryo felt a little less tired today than he had for the last week, but, in its place, now he felt confused all the time.  There was just so much to process all at once.  His wife had left him, he couldn’t go home, and someone wanted him dead.  Added to this, there were always these veiled suggestions in the questions and comments that hinted there was someone out there who knew who he was. 

 

Someone with ties to his past had come to see him once, a long time ago.  The young man came to take away the sword that Ryo had been holding when they had pulled him out of the ruins of Koua Academy.  Ryo didn’t like to remember that day.  It always made him feel uneasy.  There had been no logical reason to keep the sword; it wasn’t his.  And the person to whom it belonged must have wanted it back.  However, the minute the dark haired man had left, Ryo had felt something tug at his heart.  As though he had just cut a string that was tethering him to some safe place.  Ryo had tried to put that pivotal day out of his mind; worked harder, spoiled his wife as often as possible, but the unease remained.  It felt like...failure.  The owner of the sword must have some idea who he was, maybe the dark haired man did as well.  He wondered if he might ever see the brunette again or get the chance to meet the sword’s actual owner.

 

 Just about the time that Ryo reached his limit with all of the questions, the medical professionals decided to switch to the poking and prodding portion of his day.  That got old fairly quickly as well.  A series of neurological tests, eye exams, CAT scans and MRI scans of his brain, some of which involved having an IV; by the time Free came to collect him and take him for some lunch, Ryo felt like a lab rat. 

 

It was nice having Free around.  Free was a quiet, self-contained man and while Ryo himself was a social individual and enjoyed talking, right now Free’s calming presence was exactly what he needed.  Ryo wasn’t really hungry, but he did manage to eat at Free’s prompting and had to admit that he felt better after he had something in his stomach.

 

After lunch it was back to the questions and more poking and prodding.  Ryo wanted to go back to his borrowed room at the castle and lie down.  He wanted to sleep for a week, even though he very nearly had already.  The desperate side of Ryo’s mind kept hoping that it was all some kind of insane nightmare caused by the medication he was put on after his first trip to the hospital, and that he would eventually wake up at home in his own bed and with his wife. 

 

When he mentioned this futile fantasy to someone late in the day, there were a whole new series of questions about his trip to Magic Bus Hospital and the day that had preceded it.  Ryo’s visit to the flower shop was of particular interest to them, and they asked many questions about his reactions.  He told the doctors what he had told everyone who had asked, that he thought it was just low blood sugar, but they were very intrigued nonetheless.  One therapist suggested that hypnosis to relive that day might be of benefit and reveal important information.  It had been a long day already, however, so Ryo was asked to consider the hypnosis at a later date, released to go home and told he would be contacted with his test results.

 

Ryo was happy to escape the hospital, get in the car and go home.  Home.  This wasn’t home, and yet it was.  He felt a sickening relief when he saw the castle come into view after the final turnoff and wondered for how long he could count on having a room here.  After all, he had lost everything else in his life up to this point.  Why not the roof over his head?  Why were these people helping him?  And if he did something wrong, would they turn on him as well? 

 

Panic surged through his mind and body and Ryo screamed for Free to pull the car to the side of the road.  Flinging the door open, he scrambled out of the car and dropped to his knees in the tall grass.  Ryo felt Free’s reassuring hand on his back as he purged what little was in his stomach and surrendered to the dry heaves that persisted in torturing him.  Slowly, the hand making lazy circles over his back calmed his mind, focused it away from the panic that had induced the episode, and Ryo got himself under control.  He tried to stand but Free kept a firm hand on his back and told him to stay where he was. 

 

Free wandered away and came back a few moments later with a bottle of water.  After admonishing him to take small sips, Free handed over the water and returned to the slow, soothing pattern of rubbing.  When the first mouthful stayed put, Ryo risked a slightly larger drink, which helped clear away the burning in the back of his throat.  As soon as he was able, Ryo climbed to his feet, fell back into the car and Free finished the drive to the castle.

 

Free left Ryo in his room and told him that he would be back later to check on him.  Good, he thought, maybe he was done with all of the hovering babysitters for a while.  Pulling off the taped down bits of gauze, Ryo noticed that the adhesive from the bandages and from the myriad different electrical leads had made his skin sticky.  He started to rummage through the armoire and dressers that the room contained and into which his clothing had been unpacked. 

 

Ryo only vaguely remembered the woman, Mihirogi, going through his suitcases and handing things to a dark haired teenage boy, Yuki, who put them away, while Michel had tried to distract him and get him to smile.  The boys were very kind to him, especially Michel.  In the span of fifteen minutes, the youth had offered him everything from food to flowers to cheer him up.  Ryo had mentioned liking flowers and now as he looked around the room, he saw that there was a small vase set on the desk.  It was only a small collection of wildflowers, obviously picked by hand, and he suspected Michel of being responsible for their presence.  If he wasn’t careful, his admission about chocolate would probably come back to haunt him as well.

 

Seeing the clothing in the drawers brought home the idea that he really was never going back to Japan.  All Ryo’s favorite after-work clothing was there, but there were no suits hanging in the armoire.  She might never have loved him, but it made Ryo feel a little less sad that Asuka had cared enough to pack these things for him.

 

Selecting an outfit, Ryo made his way to the bathroom and was surprised once again.  There was an array of full sized toiletries, brand new, many of which were similar to the things he used and favored at home.  He idly wondered who had taken the time to go shopping for him today, and how they had guessed so accurately on his likes and dislikes.  This place was full of surprises, but he fervently hoped and prayed all the bad ones were done.  He didn’t think he could take any more of those.

 

Ryo finished his shower, dried off and dressed quickly.   Leaving the bathroom, he thought about trying to sleep for a while before dinner, but decided he might try to go outside and take a walk while he was off his leash.  They meant well, but it was getting annoying to be followed around constantly, and after a day in the hospital, he needed some fresh air.  He’d been in and out of the house to get to the hospital, and had a good idea how to at least get to the door that led to the parking area.  Once outside he would wander around and see if there were any paths to follow. 

 

From the exterior door, Ryo could see a large formal garden and a gazebo in the distance.  A place to sit amongst the flowers and think sounded like a good idea, and the early evening air was already helping to clear his head and ease his stomach.  Ryo walked leisurely across the estate and tried not to think too much about all that had happened to him in the last 48 hours.  It would still be there tomorrow, and he needed to pretend, even if it was just for a little while, that he was still happy and that life was good. 

 

There was a tall hedge maze in the center of the garden, and he meandered through it, content to just walk and breathe the scent of living things.  As Ryo reached the other side, he heard voices and stopped to listen.  The voices were familiar, but he could only put a name to one of the three - Chloe.  He had met seven people so far here at the castle, and while they seemed quite nice, he really knew very little about them. 

 

It shouldn’t surprise him that there were more people that he hadn’t met; after all it was a very large estate and probably had any number of staff.  Maybe the people that Chloe was talking to were gardeners or some other staff, taking a break like he was.  He thought for a moment about going back the way he had come, not at all certain that he was allowed to be here and fearing to offend his hosts.  Then he heard the voices become a little louder.

 

“Will you two please leave me alone?” said Voice A.

 

“We want you to come in and eat with us,” said Voice B.

 

“I’m not hungry,” said Voice A.

 

“You haven’t eaten anything all day and you’re hiding yourself away,” said Chloe.

 

“I’m not hiding.  I went into town this afternoon and did some shopping, and I’m out here now,” said Voice A.

 

From his place behind the shrubs, Ryo crept closer to the edge.  He was still unsure if it was a good idea, but the curiosity about the faces behind the new voices was too much to resist.

 

“You went shopping and you didn’t take me along?  Shame on you.  What did you buy?” asked Chloe.

 

“Nothing you would be interested in; it was just some...things.  Look, I just want to work out here for a little while longer.  I’ll come in before it gets dark,”  said Voice A.

 

“As if you have a choice, but have it your way, Aya.  While you’re shutting yourself away though, ask yourself what Youji would have said to you if he could see you right now,” said Voice B.

 

It was that name.  The sweat formed on his forehead and Ryo felt instantly chilled.  That was the name of the girl from the flower shop, the one who had looked so familiar.  What was it about that day that continued to haunt him so much? 

 

No longer caring if it was wise or not, Ryo rushed forward out of the maze and looked for the source of the voices he had been eavesdropping on.  There, in the middle of a large flower garden, were three people.  Two men were standing and facing him.  One figure he recognized as Chloe, one of the men who had come to pick him up at the airport.  The second figure stood next to Chloe and had dark brown hair.  Ryo wasn’t certain, but he thought that it might have been the man who had come so long ago to collect the sword. 

 

He moved forward, wanting a chance to talk to the man, ask him to whom the sword had belonged.  In his rush to reach the brunette, Ryo almost overlooked the figure kneeling in the dirt, but his bright red hair was sure to catch anyone’s notice.  He couldn’t see a face since the figure was turned away, but there was something about the person… 

 

Ryo was about 20 feet away when the standing pair noticed his approach and the brunette said a name, “Youji.”  The figure on the ground turned to see what it was the other men were staring at, and the pale face stared back at his in shock.  Everyone froze where they were; it was as if time itself had stopped for just a moment, and then everything sped up.  Ryo could no longer hear over the sound of the blood rushing through his ears.  He saw the figure on the ground stand up and take a tentative step toward him. 

 

Two words fell from his own mouth, “Aya...Fujimiya,” but he could neither hear them nor had he any awareness of what he had just spoken.  Ryo fell back one step and then another, stumbling as he tried to keep his footing.  The buzzing in his head became louder and louder.  The sweat was pouring from his palms and his face was hot.  His stomach felt as though he’d just been dropped from the side of a building, and his chest burned with a sharp pain.  In his haste to back away, Ryo tripped over a small concrete planter placed at the edge of the walkway and fell. 

 

The two unknown figures continued to approach, the brunette holding out a hand as if to help him up and the redhead speaking some unknown word or phrase.  Ryo rolled to his hands and knees and crawled back to the path before standing up.  He felt as though his world had just ended all over again; no, this was worse than watching his wife leave.  What was happening to him? 

 

Ryo screamed “NO!” over and over and took off at a run.  He fled to the castle as if he were being pursued by demons, and the way he felt, maybe he was.


	13. Chapter 13

Aya watched, horrified, as Youji ran away from him in terror.  As the love of his life passed out of sight, Aya fell to his knees and clutched at the loose earth of the flower bed.  The dirt slid between his fingers and away from him in much the same way as he had found and lost Youji; lost him not once, but twice.  “Chloe,” he managed to choke out, “go after him, make sure he’s all right.”

 

In a show of seriousness more typical to his mission mode than his downtime hours, Chloe took off swiftly and silently.  This much he could do for Aya, but the rest he would have to trust to Ken.  Chloe knew he was fast, but Youji’s fear-powered form remained ahead of his own until they approached the castle.  Once within sight of the door, Chloe saw that Free was in the entryway, scanning the yard for any sight of their guest.  Youji must have seen him as well, because he made straight for Free and practically collapsed at the man’s feet. 

 

Seeing that Youji was now in good hands, Chloe slowed to a walk and caught his breath.  He reached the pair just as Free managed to calm Youji enough to get him to stand, and together, Chloe and Free helped him to get back to his room.  A quick call to Dr. Ganson confirmed that a sedative was in order, as well as juice and a warm bed to deal with the shock.  When Youji was finally deeply asleep, Chloe and Free left the room and Chloe explained to Free what had transpired in the garden.

 

*****

 

“Aya?” the stunned man heard Ken ask.  “I know it looks bad, but…”

 

“Bad,” Aya interrupted, “looks bad?  It is bad, Ken.  This is exactly why we weren’t sent to pick him up, I suppose.  There’s something there.  Some part of him must remember something, or he wouldn’t react at all.  But whatever it is, he can’t bear the sight of me.”

 

“Don’t you mean us, Aya?”

 

“No, Ken, I mean me.  How long was he standing there and looking at you?  When I turned around, he was actually approaching you and Chloe and looked fine.  It wasn’t until he made eye contact with me that he lost it.  Right?”

 

“Well, maybe.  I mean it did sort of look like that, but...well... don’t jump to conclusions, Aya.  It could be anything.  Really.  I mean, he could have seen a ghost behind you or something.”

 

Aya sat back on his heels and looked up at Ken with his most skeptical expression.  “You don’t believe that any more than I do,” he finally said in exasperation.

 

“No,” Ken chuckled, “but I did at least get you to look at me.  All I’m really trying to say, Aya, is please don’t rush into assuming the worst case scenario.  Youji just had his life turned completely upside down and he doesn’t know why.  Just because something bothers him today doesn’t mean that he won’t be fine in a week, or a month.”

 

“Or a year, or never.  Don’t misunderstand me, Ken.  I’m glad he’s here.  I’m glad he’s away from...that.  But having him safe is only part of it.  I want him to be happy.  I don’t even care anymore if that doesn’t include me; I gave up on that a long time ago, but he has to be happy.  Thinking that he was a happily married man with a good life was the only thing that’s kept me going all this time.  To see him look like...that look on his face, Ken…”

 

“I know.”  Ken reached out and put his hand on Aya’s shoulder giving it a brief squeeze.  “Chloe ought to have caught up with him by now.  Let’s go back to the house and see if we can figure something out.”

 

Ken wanted to go to the house and talk.  Aya was talked out.  He’d said all he had to, and figured there was nothing more to be said, but he also didn’t feel like fighting with Ken over it.  Dusting off his knees as he stood up, Aya nodded his head and followed as Ken walked back to the castle.  He already knew what he needed to do and there was nothing to figure out.  Aya had decided he would repack his small bag and head back to London tonight.  The sooner he was away from Youji, the better it would be for the man’s recovery.  Besides, the shop needed to be opened and there were orders to complete and…

 

*****

 

Aya was just steps from the front door when he heard the voice behind him. 

 

“Aya, would you mind coming to my office for a moment?” 

 

Turning around, he spotted KR watching him from the end of the hallway and looking as if he’d expected to see Aya there.  Caught and knowing it, Aya used the hand not holding his sword to hitch the strap of his overnight bag higher on his shoulder and walked back to KR’s office.

 

Once they were seated inside, KR closed the door and gestured to the sofa.  “Sit down, Aya.”  When they were both seated on the sofa, he continued.  “I heard about what happened today.  Are you all right?”

 

“Fine, sir.  It’s Youji that I’m worried for.”

 

“I know that you are, Aya, but he isn’t the only person affected here.  To a certain extent, we will all have our lives changed by this, but none more so than you.  And you, my dear boy, are running away.”

 

“I’m not running away,” Aya said defiantly.  “I’m...making a strategic retreat.”  Alright, it sounded lame even to his own ears, but it was closer to how he viewed his own action.  He hated that phrase, ‘running away’.

 

“Then you won’t mind waiting until tomorrow morning when we’ll receive an ‘intelligence’ report from the doctor, will you?”

 

“What about the shop?”  Aya asked, trying desperately to find a way out before he was trapped. 

 

“While you were hiding in your room, Chloe and Ken gathered up the boys and the four of them left to go back to London.”  Seeing the look on Aya’s face, KR realized the man was disappointed at having missed another perfectly good argument.  “Yes, if you were really that worried about anything but Youji, you would have thought about the boys missing school.  Ken and Chloe will fill and deliver the remaining orders, transfer future ones to a neighboring florist, and help the boys pick up their schoolwork for the next two weeks.  I have arranged for them to study here during that time and their teachers have agreed, on the condition that I provide a tutor.  All four of them will be back here by tomorrow evening and then we will all discuss what to do next.”

 

“I don’t need a doctor to tell me that I need to be kept out of Youji’s sight.  Seeing the way he reacted this evening made that perfectly clear.”

 

“That may be true, but what if Dr. Ganson needs information that only you or Ken can provide?  What if she needs details about Youji that he doesn’t remember to make certain she coordinates an appropriate course of treatment?  Are you prepared to walk away from this altogether?  I don’t care if you lock yourself in your room for the rest of the week, Aya, although I would be gravely disappointed if you did, but you need to rethink your role in all of this.  I know it hurts to see him like this right now, but consider what is genuinely best for his health and happiness in the long run.”

 

Aya leaned forward and put his head in his hands.  He was so frustrated by his inability to help Youji and the emotional upheaval of his sudden reappearance, and now he felt days worth of unshed tears threatening him once again.  Aya ground his teeth together trying to keep them back, not wanting to break down in front of the man who not only assigned the team their missions but who had also become like a second father to him.  When he felt KR put a hand on his knee, all the feelings Aya had beaten back broke loose of his iron control and the tears came like a deluge.  Loud, wracking sobs tore through him and refused to be denied any longer. 

 

KR stood and walked across the room out of Aya’s peripheral vision.  ‘He must be so disappointed in me,’ Aya assumed, and then he saw the feet return.  Digging his nails into his palms and biting his lower lip, Aya forced himself back under a shaky kind of control and glanced up long enough to see KR standing in front of him, a box of tissues in one hand, and a generous brandy in the other.

 

“It’s about time you let that out, son.  Don’t quit now.  There’s plenty more tissues and cognac in the house and we have all night.”

 

Aya put his head back down and cried again, though not for himself.  This time he cried in gratitude that he had found such a place to wash up in after the horrible turn his life had taken, and that the love of his life had made it here as well.  This was a good place with good people.  If Youji had a hope of ever getting better, this was the place for him to be.

 

*****

 

Ken fell on the bed fully dressed and gave a large yawn.  “Man, am I tired.”

 

“I still say it would have gone faster if you’d made Yuki and Michel help us instead of letting them run off to bed.”

 

“Chloe, you brat, they’re kids and they have school tomorrow.  At least they’ll get themselves to school and we can sleep in until around 10 before we need to worry about the deliveries.  You’re going to handle the transfers while I’m out running the orders, right?”

 

“Yes.  It’s fortunate for us that Aya is so meticulous with his paperwork.  It should be fairly easy to find and reroute everything before we have to pick the kids up and head back.”  Chloe studied the look that passed over Ken’s face at the mention of going back.  “You’re really worried about Aya and Youji, aren’t you?”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Ken wasn’t as talkative as Chloe, but one word answers weren’t a good sign.  “Come on.  If you can stand being awake for ten more minutes, let’s get a shower and I’ll wash your back.  You’ll sleep much better after a little relaxing hot water and even hotter blond therapy.”

 

Ken smiled at his lover’s attempt to cheer him up and got off the bed.  “Better make it a quick wash or I’ll fall asleep standing up.”

 

“I think I can manage to be a good boy.”

 

Chloe remained true to his word and was all business-like efficiency.  He quickly washed both of them and helped dry Ken off before wrapping him in one of his spare robes.  Once back in the bedroom, Ken was asleep almost as soon as Chloe got him under the covers.  Taking off his own robe, Chloe crawled into bed, spooned up behind Ken and closed his eyes.

 

*****

 

Ken awoke the next day to the feeling of a pair of arms encircling his waist, and an erection pressed up against his ass.  “Chloe?  You up?” Ken asked over his shoulder.

 

With a snort, Chloe answered, “I should think that’s fairly self-evident, my love, but yes, I’m awake as well.  How are you this morning?  Still worried?”

 

“Yeah.  Thanks for last night, though.  It did help, and I slept really well.”

 

“Would you like to talk about it?”

 

“What’s to say?  You saw what happened.  That look on Youji’s face and the agony in Aya’s eyes afterward.  It hurts so much to see both of them in that kind of pain right now.  They’re my family, Chloe.  The only family I’ve got and I want to make it better, but I don’t know how.”  The pain and frustration were as evident in Ken’s voice as they were in the tension of his muscles.

 

“KR will have talked some sense into Aya by now.  He can’t run verbal rings around KR the way he can around us.  The doctors are on top of Youji’s condition right now and Free is watching him like a hawk.  The best thing that you can do for them is just be there and be yourself.  Letting yourself worry about what you can’t do is no more productive than Aya trying to run away from the pain.  Let it go.”

 

“I feel...guilty, Chloe.”

 

“For what?”

 

Ken remained silent, but squeezed Chloe’s hand with his own.

 

“For being in a relationship?” Chloe guessed, incredulous.

 

“For being happy in a relationship and for taking it for granted.  I told you that Aya and Youji had some kind of fight when we talked about my past, but it wasn’t just a fight.  They were hurting each other, trying to kill one another, and while it seemed okay the last time we saw Youji, they never got to touch one another after that.  They never really got the chance to make up for the things they had said and done.”

 

“It’s tragic, I grant you, but what does that have to do with you?”

 

“I hit you,” Ken responded, his voice rising.  “I hit you over something really stupid, but I got to see you again and you forgave me.  I never should have hit you, Chloe, not just because it was wrong, but what if we never got the chance to make it up?  You’d think after all these years I’d learn just how uncertain things are for all of us, but I’m just dumb, and I don’t deserve to be happy when they aren’t.”

 

“At the risk of being vulgar, Ken, that’s utter crap.  You have as much right to be happy as the rest of us, as much right to ask for and receive forgiveness as the rest of us.  Do you honestly think either Youji or Aya would be any happier right now if you were alone?  I know that Aya would smack you on the side of the head if he heard you right now, and from what I’ve heard of Kudou, he’d probably kick your posterior.  I’m rather annoyed with you myself.  If you aren’t getting any, then I’m not either, and I don’t like that prospect one little bit.  I won’t kick your ass though; I have much better plans in mind for it.”  Placing a kiss to the back of Ken’s neck, Chloe pulled Ken closer to him and ground his erection harder into Ken’s ass.

 

Ken turned around inside Chloe’s arms and kissed him.  It wasn’t the frantic sort of kissing they had engaged in the night before last, it was a passion of a different kind.  The kiss was deep and sensual, full of unspoken promises and longing, and before long both men were aroused and wanting. 

 

Ken broke away from the kiss and looked Chloe in the eyes before saying, “I need you, Chloe.”  He couldn’t say the rest at that moment. 

 

I want you, I need you, I love you, please don’t ever leave me; Ken didn’t say those words to him, but Chloe could see it in his eyes.  Ken had the most expressive eyes he’d ever seen.  Sometimes, Chloe felt as though he could get lost in those eyes and never find his way out again.  More and more often lately, that thought didn’t bother him so much.

 

Reaching behind him to the nightstand, Chloe opened the drawer and fumbled around for the lube and a condom.  Laying the condom on top of the blanket, he opened the lube and put some on his fingers.  Hooking his wrist under Ken’s knee, he raised Ken’s legs over his own hip and reached down to slick his opening.  Ken started when the cool lube touched him and Chloe looked at him with concern.  “Are you certain you want me to do this?  We don’t have to…”

 

“No, Chloe, I want this, I want you, it’s just cold that’s all.”

 

Chloe could tell that there was more to Ken’s reaction than just the temperature.  It had been years since anyone had touched him this way, and it was certainly understandable to have a little apprehension.  The look in Ken’s eyes, though, conveyed how much he really did need this contact, this reassurance in their relationship, and Chloe couldn’t deny that it was something he, too, had wanted since the moment they got together. 

 

Leaning forward, Chloe brought their lips together and kissed Ken until he felt some of the tension in the other man’s body leave his muscles.  Then, slowly, he pushed one finger inside him.  Ken was incredibly tight.  Chloe wondered for a moment if there was any way he could accustom Ken enough that there would be no pain, but he also knew Ken wasn’t going to abandon the idea no matter what.  Pain didn’t mean anything right now, only being together. 

 

When he thought Ken had finally adapted and relaxed enough around one finger, Chloe withdrew, massaged the pulsing entrance with soft fingertips, and pushed forward to breach Ken’s body with two fingers.  While Ken’s emotional state was receptive and enthusiastic, Ken’s body still reacted predictably to the intrusion by clamping down viciously and Chloe patiently held his fingers deep and still.  Eventually, Chloe was able to start moving his fingers and stretching ever so slightly with each thrust.  By the time Chloe had worked up to a third finger, both of them had developed confidence and Ken was starting to rock slightly on Chloe’s fingers and moan hungrily while Chloe nipped at Ken’s ear and the side of his neck. 

 

When he felt that they were both ready, Chloe rolled Ken onto his back and reached for the condom packet.  Quickly tearing it open and rolling it over his erection, Chloe put more lube onto himself and positioned his hips between Ken’s legs.  Leaning over, he sucked at first one and then the other of Ken’s nipples before pushing himself slowly inside his partner. 

 

Ken took a deep breath and tried to relax as Chloe pushed into his body.  Despite his best efforts, it had been a long time and Ken’s passage clenched down, producing a sharp pain before Chloe was fully seated.  Chloe must have noticed, Ken thought, because he stopped briefly to allow Ken to relax.  Ken was grateful to have such an astute and caring lover for his first time receiving again after so many years.  The feeling of being filled and stretched by Chloe was wonderful, even if it was still a little painful.  Eventually Chloe began to rock his hips.  A slow rolling motion that soothed Ken even as it stimulated him and convinced his body to surrender to its own desire.

 

Chloe took his time, willing to savor these first moments and let them last.  He didn’t mind taking things slowly for Ken’s first time on the bottom with him.  Engaged emotionally as well as physically, Chloe wanted his lover to enjoy their coupling as much as possible.  When he finally sped things up and reached for Ken’s cock, hard once again after faltering in the pain and awkwardness of adapting, Chloe was smugly confident that his partner felt nothing but pleasure.  Rubbing the remaining lube still clinging to his fingers over the head of Ken’s erection, Chloe stroked Ken firmly in synch with his own thrusts.

 

Ken started to moan loudly as his climax ripped through him and Chloe felt the rippling of pulsating muscle tormenting his own cock.  When he heard Ken call his name at his peak, Chloe, too, succumbed and dove into his own orgasm.  Dropping to his elbows, Chloe sucked and nipped at Ken’s collarbones as he made shallow thrusts into Ken’s warmth, prolonging his own pleasure.  When both men were spent, Chloe lowered himself on top of Ken and felt his partner’s arms wrap lovingly around his back.

 

They lay quietly for several minutes and Ken drew lazy circles over Chloe’s back while Chloe purred in contentment.  Suddenly, Chloe propped himself up just enough to be able to look Ken in the eye and declared, “I love you.” 

 

Ken looked up at Chloe and realized with amusement that Chloe looked almost startled at his own admission.  Smiling, Ken craned his neck to lean forward and gave Chloe a small kiss before relaxing back down into the soft depths of the pillow and replying, “I love you, too.”

 

Chloe took a breath and relaxed, as though he had been in doubt of what he had done and finally realized the world hadn’t come to an end.  Untangling their limbs, sitting up and looking at the clock Chloe commented, “Good.  We have just enough time to grab showers before we have to get back to work.”

 

“Oh...me first,”  Ken squeaked as he jumped from the bed, grabbed a robe and ran for the bathroom.

 

Startled by his lover’s sudden burst of energy, Chloe reached over and grabbed a few tissues to do a makeshift cleanup before putting on his robe and walking into the hall.  Just as he was about to walk to the bathroom to check on Ken, Chloe heard the shower start, so he headed for the kitchen instead.  After washing his hands, he set out to make a quick pot of tea and some toast so that they would have something to start their day.  Breakfast procured, he returned to the bedroom and had picked out some clothes just as Ken emerged from the bathroom.

 

“Here you are,” he said, handing Ken a plate of toast thickly spread with apricot preserves.

 

“Oh, bless you, Chloe, I’m starving.  Is that tea, too?”  Ken grabbed his mug of tea and took a sip between bites as he simultaneously ate and dressed.  “Thank you for that, but if you don’t mind my going ahead, I’d better get started so that I can be back in time to get the kids and get us on the road.”  

 

“No, go on ahead; I’ll be down to the shop as soon as I shower and dress and I’ll take care of things there before you get back.  Stop worrying so much.  It’ll be all right.  I promise,” Chloe reassured his lover.

 

After a quick kiss to Chloe’s cheek, Ken stuffed the last of his toast in his mouth and ran out the door.

 


	14. Chapter 14

When Aya arrived at KR’s office the next morning, Dr. Ganson and KR were already present and talking over cups of coffee. 

 

“Excuse me,” Aya said as he entered the room, “I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.”

 

“You aren’t late, Mr. Fujimiya, I arrived a little early so Mr. Krypton was treating me to some breakfast,” answered the buxom brunette who served as KR’s house internist. 

 

KR waved Aya into the room and gestured to the side of the office where a rolling cart held dishes, two thermal carafes, a bowl of fruit, and a basket of baked goods.  “We’ve finished the eggs and tomatoes, I’m afraid, but I’m sure we must have left some fruit or a muffin, if you would like something.” 

 

Aya hadn’t planned on eating at all that morning, but thought perhaps it was a good idea to play along.  He wandered over and helped himself to a cup of tea from the nearly full second carafe and put a muffin on a small plate before returning to sit on the sofa.  The muffin would be easy to pick at and no one would fault him for refusing to eat outright.  Over the years he’d learned his way around some of his behavior and people’s reactions to it.  He wanted to hear what the doctor thought about Youji, not about his own eating habits.

 

“I’ve been told that Mr. Kudou had another panic attack yesterday, is that correct?”  the doctor asked.

 

“What do you mean, another?  Has this happened before?”  Aya asked.

 

“Before he arrived here, yes, he apparently had an episode inside a flower shop.”  The doctor consulted the file she had begun on Youji before continuing.  “The doctors didn’t find out about this until later in the day and couldn’t get all the information they would have liked, but apparently either the shop or someone who was in it is believed to have been the trigger that started this whole process.”

 

“Was it the ‘Kitten’s House’ flower shop, by any chance?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.  Does this place hold some significance in Mr. Kudou’s past?”

 

“Yes, we worked there together for a few years and now it is owned and run by my sister and her husband.”

 

Dr. Ganson pulled a pen from the pocket of her blazer and began to take notes in the margins of the report she was holding.  “Oh, that is important to know.  It was recommended that Mr. Kudou consider hypnosis to see what in particular might have set him off and obtain more details about that day, but perhaps it would be useful to get more background information from you first.”

 

For more than an hour, the doctor asked questions about Weiss’ past in general and Youji’s past in particular.  Aya told her what he was able to.  It was fortunate that Krypton Brand had a cleared physician for things like this, much like Magic Bus had been for Kritiker’s operatives.  There was no way he would have been able to tell even half of these things to one of the doctors at the hospital. 

 

Ganson wrote copious notes on a large legal pad and interrupted Aya’s story occasionally to verify some small detail that she seemed to think might be important.  The events on the day of Youji’s injury at Koua Academy were of particular interest and she asked him to repeat the story twice, looking for something.  When he finished, he sat back, took a drink of his now very cold tea and watched as she looked over her own notes.

 

“Let me just start by saying that the tests we ran yesterday show no current sign of brain abnormality.  This doesn’t mean that the original problem wasn’t caused by some physical reason, it just means that if it was, that area is now functioning normally.  As a result, this means that Mr. Kudou is now able to learn and retain information in a normal manner and there is no reason to believe that this sort of memory loss should spontaneously happen to him again.  Secondly, the fact that he is having reactions to stimuli that are directly connected to his past suggests to me that the memory loss he experienced as a result of his original injury is not complete.  His memory has not been wiped out so much as made difficult to access.”

 

KR interrupted her theory and asked her to explain, “What do you mean ‘access’?”

 

“Think of the brain in this case a little like a hard drive.  Just because you have information written on a disc, doesn’t mean you can always access it to find it.  Losing the file doesn’t mean it’s gone, you may simply have lost the pathway that the computer would use to find it.  Does that make sense?”

 

“How very interesting,”  KR remarked.

 

“If that is the case, it might be a matter of bringing enough details to the surface and allowing Mr. Kudou to retrain his brain to ‘find’ the information, so to speak.  I don’t wish to get your hopes up, gentlemen, but I believe it to be an avenue worth pursuing.  If you have no objections, I would like to take Mr. Kudou back to the hospital for a day.  MRI’s run while asking him to process some of the information you have given me about his past should be able to confirm this disconnect in his brain, and whether there are any centers that are still affected.  It would help to know that we are on the right track first, before we make too many plans.”

 

“And these panic attacks he’s having, what do they mean?” Aya asked.

 

“They may be his body’s way of reacting to having a memory of sorts, but being unable to process what it is, or why.  I’m concerned that we start some form of treatment for this soon, before such events become common.  Until we have this under control, it might be best for him to avoid triggers outside of a controlled, clinical environment.  It’s bad enough that our questions might cause him to have a negative reaction at the hospital.  I would prefer that the castle remain a place where he feels safe and secure.”

 

“I understand, doctor.  I expected that I would have to avoid Youji after what happened yesterday.”

 

Margaret Ganson smiled at Aya encouragingly.  “Don’t worry, Mr. Fujimiya, this may be only temporary.  We’ll do what we can for your friend.”

 

Aya stood and discarded his shredded muffin and half cup of tea on the lower tray of the rolling cart.  Turning back to the desk, he said, “Thank you, doctor,” before turning to KR.  “If I may be excused?”

 

KR nodded to Aya and watched as his agent left the room.  “Your news is very encouraging, Margaret, but I don’t know if he really believes it,” KR observed.

 

“No, of course not.  Aya is the eternal skeptic in matters that relate to his own personal happiness.  He’s grown smarter about trying to hide them from people, but his nerves still show.  Did he really think he was fooling anyone with the way he played with that poor muffin?”

 

KR gave a small laugh.  “Yes, I expect that he did, but I’m not as worried as I was last night.  We’ll keep an eye on him today and maybe by tomorrow there will be some news to give him hope.”

 

Dr. Ganson stood.  “In that case, I’d best collect my patient, if he’s awake, and get moving.  We have a lot to get done today.”

 

*****

 

A sharp knock at the door roused Youji from sleep, but the after effects of the sedative were still making him groggy.  The attractive, middle-aged woman who appeared in the hallway when Free opened the door, seemed vaguely familiar to him from his trip to the hospital the day before.

 

“Hello, Dr...Ganson?” he asked hesitantly, as though unsure he remembered the right name.

 

“Yes, that’s right.  Very good.  How are you feeling this morning?”

 

“Like I was either hit by a train or else had a panic attack and then a sedative.  Do I get a prize if I correctly guess which it was?”

 

“Oh dear, we are feeling cranky this morning, aren’t we?” she remarked back, not unkindly.  “I suppose that’s to be expected though.”

 

“Sorry, I have too many questions and I haven’t had any coffee yet today, so it’s a little difficult to be my usual charming self.  You’ve caught me on an off day.”

 

“Well, I tell you what.  Since I’ve had to rouse you from your beauty sleep, and I’m going to drag you back to the hospital today, I will give you a prize after all.  Ask me one question and I’ll do my best to answer it, but then we have to get you up and dressed and out of here, with or without the coffee,” she offered.

 

Without hesitation, Youji looked the doctor in the eye and asked, “What is my real name?”

 

The doctor thought for a moment and then decided that there was no harm in answering the question.  There were worse things he could have demanded to know at this point, and it wasn’t unusual that he would like the answer to this one.  “Youji Kudou,” she answered.

 

“Youji Kudou,” he repeated softly to himself.

 

“Don’t feel as though you need to adopt the name just because you used it in the past.  If you are more comfortable with Ryo Ito, we can continue to call you that.  It’s entirely up to you now.”

 

“Ito was my wife’s name and since she...I don’t really have a reason to keep it now.  I’m used to Ryo, but it was just a name someone picked at random.  I like the idea of a name that has a meaning to someone, even if it doesn’t to me.  I’ll use Youji Kudou,” he decided.

 

“All right then, Mr. Kudou.  In that case, get yourself up, showered and dressed, and if you’re ready in 30 minutes, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee on the way to the hospital.”

 

At the mention of caffeine, Youji’s face sparked a smile and he held out a hand to shake hers.  “Deal,” he said.   He waited for the doctor to leave the room before leaving the bed, selecting some clothes and heading for the bathroom.  As promised, Youji was ready in 27 minutes and reminded her about her promise concerning the coffee.  With a laugh, they left the castle and walked to her car.  The day was just starting, but he already felt a little better.  At least now he had a name to go by, a name that really belonged to him.

 

*****

 

It was another long day at the hospital, but for the current visit all the poking and prodding was conducted by Dr. Ganson.  The questions on this occasion were more specific and sometimes uncomfortable.  When it got to be too much and Youji felt overwhelmed, the doctor would stop what she was doing for 10 minutes and encourage him to go for a walk or get a cup of tea or coffee.  As awkward and annoying as it could sometimes get, Youji decided it was still better than what he’d been subjected to the previous day. 

 

On the other hand, if Youji thought that he could get any more answers out of the doctor, he was sadly mistaken.  Even flirting with her seemed to have no effect.  It was as though she was used to dealing with a charmer and had developed an annoying immunity. 

 

He was also put through the MRI again.  Youji wasn’t particularly claustrophobic, but the large machines are imposing.  During the scan, Dr. Ganson would say a series of words; some of which he recognized, some that he didn’t and some that scared him though he couldn’t articulate why.  Fortunately for him, this portion of the day only took about half an hour and then Youji was allowed to go to lunch. 

 

Free hadn’t come along with him today.  Youji wondered nervously if his outburst the night before had made the quiet man decide he didn’t want to be around him as much any more, but then chose to assume his unflappable new friend simply had better things to do than continue to babysit him.  After he finished eating, Youji stopped by the gift shop to buy a paperback and found a bench outside in the sun to sit and read. 

 

It was nearly an hour later before the doctor sent someone to collect him and he resumed his tests.  For the final portion of the day, Youji was shown a series of photographs and asked to describe how he felt when he saw them.  The first group of photos were of places; some made him happy, some wistful, some angry.  The reaction to the second group was much the same, only these included people.  Dr. Ganson asked him to make one word descriptions for his feelings, as quickly as possible from the moment the photos were shown.  He did his best to say the first thing that he thought of, but found that some of the photos were causing him increasing levels of stress. 

 

By the time Youji got to the last two photos, he had to grip the arms of the chair to stay seated.  The next to last photo was of Ken Hidaka, although Youji had no name to go with the face; after only a moment, he said, “desperate” and after a pause added, “curious.”  The last photo was his strongest reaction of the day.  Youji could hear the monitoring machines to which he was connected sounding out his increased heart rate and respiration.  The photo of Aya Fujimiya, again with no name given, brought forth a violent reaction from him.  He stood from his chair and tried to back away.  The leads from the monitor were disconnected during his retreat and an alarm sounded from the machine.  Dr. Ganson quickly turned the equipment off and followed Youji to the corner where he had retreated.  Crouching down with him, she looked into his eyes and said, “Tell me.”  Eyes full of panic met hers and he spoke only one word, “Failure.”

 

*****

 

Dr. Ganson waited until Youji had a chance to calm down before taking him back to the castle.  She had answers to most of her questions already, and thought that another talk with Mr. Fujimiya might be in order.  Giving Youji the good news that they were done for the day, they drove back to the castle chatting about different points of historical interest in the area.  The doctor thought it would be a good thing for Youji to take more of an interest in his new home, to avoid fixating on what he’d left behind in Japan. 

 

By the time they arrived, Youji looked much like his old self again, and they parted in the hall where she turned to the right to KR’s office.  Youji wandered in the direction of his room until he caught sight of one of the house maids.  He had been missing Free all day and wondered if it would do any good to try to apologize for his behavior the day before.  Free was the nearest thing he had to a friend here, and he didn’t like to think that the man might be avoiding him. 

 

When asked about the location of Free’s room, the young woman pointed to the end of an unfamiliar hall and gave him a few directions:  right, right, left, 3rd door.  Thanking her, he made his way to the end of the hall and followed her directions, but discovered that there were doors on both sides of the hall.  Not sure which 3rd door she meant, he decided to try the one on the right.  He knocked on the door three times, and then opened it to look inside.  “Free,” he called out, “are you in here?”  It was a stark room; no luxurious furnishings or bright decoration.  Just the sort of place he could imagine Free living in. 

 

There was no one in the room, but there was a desk in the far corner with a notepad on the surface.  Thinking he would just go in and leave a note, Youji entered the bedroom and walked to the desk.  He jotted a quick note to Free, telling his friend that he was looking for him, apologizing for just walking into the room, and asking him to come see him if he wouldn’t mind. 

 

As Youji turned to walk out of the room, his eye caught sight of a low dresser covered in a velvet cloth and holding a sword stand.  Intrigued, particularly since the rest of the room was so plain and functional, Youji walked closer to get a better look, and realized that he was looking at the katana that he had been found with at Koua Academy.  Youji reached forward and cautiously touched the sword, as if he was afraid that it might burn him.  Carefully, he ran his fingers down the length of the weapon, touching each part with loving care. 

 

Finally unable to resist the compulsion, he picked up the katana and held it with both hands.  He needed...he needed...to take it...he needed to take it and...go home.  His mind could only process that one thought and no other.  Youji walked from the room carrying the sword.  He didn’t even think to close the door.  He just began to wander the halls with one purpose in mind – to find home.

 

*****

 

“Come in,  Margaret.  I hope you have good news,” Richard Krypton greeted the physician as he waved her into the room.

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I believe that I do.  I would like to speak to Mr. Fujimiya and Mr. Hidaka at the same time, however, if that’s possible?  There are one or two questions I have that I hope they will be able to answer, and then we can proceed from there.”

 

“Aya should be in the library, if I’m not mistaken.  He’s been spending a great deal of time in there and in the garden these last two days.  Ken is still on his way back from London, however, I believe.  Free is…”

 

“Right here,” Free interrupted as he walked in the door.  “Good evening, Doctor Ganson.  How are you?”

 

“I’m just fine, Free.  How nice to see you again.  I trust you are well.”

 

“Quite well.  How is your current patient?  Is he here with you?”

 

“No, when we arrived, I came here to the office.  The last time I saw him, however, it appeared as though he was simply heading down the hall to his room.”

 

Turning to KR, Free asked, “Shall I go to his room and check on him, sir?  I could stop by the library and ask Aya to come up on the way, if you’d like?”

 

“Yes, thank you, Free, to both suggestions; and if you see Ken and Chloe arrive, could you send them up as well?”

 

With a nod of his head, Free turned and left the room.  He moved through the castle with ease and familiarity.  Quickly locating Aya and delivering his message, Free continued on to the guest suites and found Youji’s room – empty.  It didn’t appear as if Youji had ever returned to the room since he’d been back, but it was difficult to say for certain.  As he was returning to the study to inform KR, he came across Chloe, Ken, Yuki, and Michel coming in the door.

 

“Did you happen to see Youji outside when you were driving up?”  Free asked the group.

 

“No,” Ken answered quickly.  “Don’t tell me he’s wandered off again.”

 

“It would appear so.  KR wanted to see you.  Perhaps we should all go to the office and check the security system footage to save time,”  Free suggested.

 

“Or just check with the house maids,” Chloe muttered under his breath.

 

After elbowing his lover in the ribs, Ken remarked, “You better not let Aya hear you make a crack like that.  Youji may have been a tomcat in his earlier days, but after he and Aya hooked up, they were really devoted to one another.”  Message delivered, Ken turned on his heel and stalked off to the office.

 

When they arrived, they found both Aya and Mihirogi in attendance, as well as the doctor and KR.  Free announced to the rest of the group, “Mr. Kudou is not in his room.”

 

Mihirogi stood and immediately went to the armoire in the corner of the office that held the master security system computer.  Punching in an access code, she looked for the entrance cameras and asked the doctor for their approximate arrival time to speed her search.  With the data, she was able to quickly locate the image of the pair arriving from the hospital.  As Youji moved through the building she would access different cameras to track his progress.

 

“I don’t understand this,” the doctor remarked, “He was fine when we got back.”

 

“You said that there was something that you needed to ask Aya and Ken.  Was it something that could explain Youji’s disappearance?”  KR asked.

 

“I don’t see how.  It was just something odd that came up when I showed Mr. Kudou the pictures of Mr. Hidaka and Mr. Fujimiya.  I asked him to describe the feelings that he got when he saw each of them with one word answers.  When I showed him  Mr. Hidaka’s photo, he said ‘desperate’ and then later added ‘curious’.  To Mr. Fujimiya’s photo, he had a very negative reaction and said only ‘failure’.  Do either of you know what that could be about?”

 

Aya didn’t respond.  His eyes were firmly fixed on the video monitors, but the doctor could see the tension in his jaw muscles when she asked the question.

 

Ken offered, “Desperate and curious.  I don’t get it.  What’s to be curious about?  He knows all about me, or at least he did.”

 

Chloe poked Ken in the ribs to pull his attention back to the video cameras.  The image of Youji talking to one of the maids drew a chuckle from the blond and he couldn’t help but tease Ken over it.  “I told you we should have checked with the maids.”

 

Ken felt vindicated when he heard Chloe yelp a second later and realized that Aya, without taking his eyes from the screen, had stomped Chloe’s foot quite soundly.

 

“I did warn you,” Ken said in his best ‘I told you so’ voice.

 

Mihirogi’s voice drew everyone’s attention back to the screen as she said, “He’s heading toward your rooms.  Maybe he’s looking for one of you.”  Speeding up the footage, they watched as Youji reached a spot in the hall and looked back and forth between Free’s and Aya’s rooms.  After a moment, Youji knocked on Aya’s door and entered the room.  The camera picked him up coming out a few minutes later and holding Aya’s katana.

 

Aya was reeling.  Why?  Why would Youji pick up the sword?  Free’s voice broke through Aya’s thoughts as he asked Mihirogi, “Where does he seem to be heading?”

 

“I can’t really tell.  It truly doesn’t make any sense, he doesn’t know his way around any of these areas.  He just seems to be wandering,” she answered.

 

“Is that what he wanted?  What he thought of when he said ‘curious‘?”  Ken asked.

 

All eyes turned to him in confusion, so he continued.  “I mean, the sword.  You said that he looked at my picture and said ‘desperate’ and ‘curious’.  Could he have wanted to ask me about the sword?”

 

“Why would he need to ask you if it’s Mr. Fujimiya’s sword?” the doctor inquired.

 

“Because Ken took it with him when he left Japan and gave it to Aya himself,” Chloe answered.

 

“Then what does ‘failure’ mean, Aya?” Free turned and asked.

 

Once this much of the riddle had been put together, it didn’t take long for Aya to figure out the rest.  Failure.  Youji had promised to come home, to find him and give the sword back to him in person.  He had lost the sword when Ken took it away, and then he had actually seen Aya without it being in his possession.  Now that he had it, though, where would he go?

 

“He’s trying to find his way home, so that he can give the sword back to me,” Aya said with certainty.

 

“He stole your sword so that he could give it back to you?” the doctor asked, not understanding.

 

“It has to do with a promise he made us the last time we saw him,” Ken explained.  “He promised to find us at home and give the sword back to Aya with his own hands.  Turning back to Aya, Ken asked, “So where will he go?  It’s not like he can go back to Japan and find you at the Kitten’s House.”

 

“No.”  Aya wracked his brain trying to think what would be something here in the castle that would feel like home.  Where would he go if he wanted to be reminded of the Kitten’s House?  “The Greenhouse!” he shouted.  “He’ll go to the greenhouse.  Mihirogi, check the cameras, please; see if he’s there.”

 

Mihirogi saved her current position on the screen and opened another window for the area near the greenhouse.  Sure enough, 20 minutes after his last position on her original screen, Youji’s form wandered into view and walked to a stone wall in the greenhouse, where he leaned before sliding down to sit on the floor.  A live feed showed that he was still there; sitting on the ground and holding the sword tight to his chest. 

 

Aya took off out of the room like a shot, running to find Youji in the greenhouse before anything more could go wrong.  Please let me get there in time.  Please let him be all right.  Please let him know that it’s alright now.  Please.  Please.  He begged to any god who would listen that things would be better after this, that this would somehow put things right and allow Youji to heal. 

 

Aya reached the entrance to the greenhouse and stopped a moment to catch his breath before opening the door.  He knew from the security camera exactly where Youji had been sitting and made his way straight to that spot.  As Aya approached, Youji looked up at him.  This time, there was no fear in his eyes, only a little uncertainty, and Youji clutched the sword tighter to his chest.

 

“Aya?” Youji asked in a shaky voice, “Are we home?”

 

Aya knelt down in front of his former lover and held his hand out for the sword.  “Yes, Youji my love, we’re both home now.”

 


	15. Chapter 15

Youji reached forward to hand the sword to Aya, but the quizzical look on his face made Aya hesitate as his hand closed around the weapon.  “What is it, Youji?  Is something wrong?”

 

“I don’t understand.”  Shrugging his shoulders, Youji released the weapon into Aya’s hand. 

 

“What is it you don’t understand?”  Aya asked as he moved cautiously closer.  He was once again becoming concerned as he watched Youji’s body posture.  Still seated on the cool floor, Youji’s back bowed and he slumped forward over his lap.

 

“What am I supposed to do now?  Why are there still so many things I can’t figure out?  And why did you just call me ‘love’?  Or do you just talk to everyone like that?”  Grabbing his head with both hands, Youji uttered a loud sound of frustration.

 

Aya winced internally at his slip of the tongue and chose to address only the rest of Youji’s questions.  “It’s okay, Youji.  You remember the name Youji, right?”  When Youji nodded his head, Aya continued.  “It’s alright if it doesn’t all come back to you, now or ever.  The only thing that’s important is that you aren’t in danger anymore and that you can be happy.”  Aya desperately wished he could reach out and gather up the man into his arms, but, not wanting to risk doing anything that could set Youji back even further, he forcefully kept himself at arm’s length.  “There isn’t anything that you have to do next, except live your life.  You have a chance for a new start now with people who care about you, and we’ll do whatever we can to help you.  Please trust me, Youji. I want to be there to help you, if you’ll let me.”

 

It was odd, Youji thought, that the sight of this man terrified him so much 24 hours earlier, because now he found the sound of Aya’s voice to be oddly comforting.  “Why was I so afraid of you before?”

 

Drawing on the events of the evening, Aya speculated hopefully.  “I don’t think it was so much that you were afraid of me, Youji, you just had to do things in a certain way and it all got a little out of order.  You aren’t afraid of me now, right?”

 

“No,” Youji responded and then paused before asking, “The person who was with you and Chloe, I know him too, right?  I mean, I met him before.  He’s the one who came and took your sword from me after I got out of the hospital, but I knew him before that too, didn’t I?”

 

“Yes.  Do you remember his name?”

 

Youji stared first at the sword in Aya’s hand and then up at the ceiling before answering hesitantly, “Ken?  His name is Ken, right?”

 

“Yes.  His name is Ken Hidaka.”

 

“There was someone else with us the day you gave me the sword...or am I imagining that?”

 

Aya wasn’t sure how to answer the question.  He hated Takatori with a passion right now, but if Youji could get back some fond memories of Omi, he didn’t want to deny him those.  Torn over what to do, Aya deflected the conversation.  “Why don’t we get you off this cold floor and go up to KR’s office to finish talking?  Everyone was worried when you went missing, and they’re all waiting for us up there now.”  Aya rose from his crouch and extended a hand to help his former lover to stand.  “Want a hand?”

 

Youji hesitated only a second before taking the offered hand and pulling it to help himself stand.  He was a little cold and stiff from sitting on the floor, but the hand felt like more than just a kind gesture.

 

They walked back to the office in silence except for the sound of their footfalls echoing in the corridors.  It sounded as empty as Youji still felt.  He wondered sadly if he would ever feel normal again and what his life would be like in the years to come.  Could he get a job?  Would he fall in love and get married again?  Would he continue to stay here or would he find his own place to live? 

 

Every so often, he would look over at the man walking by his side.  Aya seemed to be a quiet, reserved man; very graceful, and very attractive.  Confused, Youji wondered what had prompted that thought.  He couldn’t remember ever noticing a man’s looks before.  Then again, he hadn’t really noticed anyone else, male or female, since he’d gotten together with Asuka. 

 

Sure, he flirted with a lot of girls at work, but he did that with all his female co-workers, regardless of how they looked.  It was just his way of being friendly and getting people to like him.  The truth was, he hadn’t had a lot of confidence, and it had been a great way to fit in better at the office when he had started his new job and didn’t know anyone. 

 

Aya didn’t strike him as the type of person one would flirt with.  On the other hand, he had called Youji ‘love’ when they were in the greenhouse.  What did that mean?  Youji’s musings were cut short by their arrival at the office and the sudden and startling sensation of being wrapped in a bear hug by the man he now recognized as Ken.

 

“Youji, man, it’s so good to see you again.  You’re okay, right?”  Ken asked.

 

“Um, yeah, I guess so.”  Youji felt awkward about the hug he was receiving but returned it clumsily.

 

Ken could tell that Youji wasn’t altogether comfortable and pulled away.  “Sorry, Youji, I got a little carried away.  I’m like that, you know.”

 

“I wish that I did.  I’m sorry.  I know that your name is Ken and that we knew each other.  I know that you were at Koua Academy when Aya gave the sword to me and you came to take it back after I left the hospital, but everything else is…”  He trailed off, clearly at a loss how to tell this man something that would clearly be disappointing to him.

 

“I think,” KR interjected before the silence could grow awkward, “that it might be a good idea for all of us to go and get some dinner now.  It’s been a very long day and I think some food and a good night’s rest would be helpful for all of us.  Don’t you agree, Dr. Ganson?”

 

“Yes, most definitely.  Come along, Mr. Kudou,” she said hooking her arm through Youji’s, “you can escort me to the dining room.”

 

*****

 

Over the course of the next few days, life started to slip into a kind of routine.  Youji continued to see the doctor, though it was now at the Krypton sponsored clinic rather than the hospital proper, and while Free would still occasionally take Youji, it was often Ken who now drove him to the facility. 

 

Ken hadn’t spoken to anyone except KR, but the incidents with Chloe had rattled him to the point where he finally asked his employer’s permission and assistance in arranging to see a counselor and Ken’s appointments had been coordinated to coincide with Youji’s schedule three days a week.  It was on the day of one of these sessions that Chloe caught up to Aya while he was puttering in the garden.

 

“I should have known you’d be out here.  Daytime in the garden, nighttime in the library, do you do anything else these days, Aya?” asked Chloe.

 

“Yes, I work out with the sword every once in a while,” Aya replied, a touch of warning in his voice.  “What do you need, Chloe?”

 

“I wanted to see how you were doing and, frankly, I’m also a little bored.  I thought maybe you’d like to get out of here for a while and go do something fun.”

 

“Like for instance?”

 

“I don’t know, you could watch me shop?  Or I could take you to lunch?”

 

“What happened this time?”

 

“What do you mean, this time?”

 

Exasperated, Aya thrust the trowel into the dirt and glared up at his friend.  “Chloe, don’t make me go through this with you again.  You’re offering me lunch.  What is wrong?”

 

Chloe stalked over to a bench and sat heavily.  “I told you, I’m bored.  I like the castle, but it isn’t London.  It’s nice to be here for short trips, but two weeks here is killing me.  I wish KR hadn’t taken us off active duty this week; even a mission would be welcome right now.”

 

Aya raised one eyebrow as he commented, “You are in bad shape if you’re having fond thoughts about work.”  He’d been sarcastic, but as Aya paused and tugged off his gardening gloves, he gave Chloe’s complaint more serious consideration.  “Maybe a few of us could go back early and re-open the shop if you want, or I could ask KR if there’s any surveillance work that doesn’t require the whole team,” Aya offered.

 

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Aya.  I said I was bored and would welcome work; I never said anything about seeking it out.  I just wish I could go shopping, or out to dinner, see a play, or hit a club.”

 

“So...why are you telling me this instead of Ken?  This all sounds like the sorts of things you would want to do with your partner and...I just got it.  Have you bothered to ask and been turned down, or are you just assuming that he will?”

 

“We’ve been getting along so well lately, and he has a lot on his plate with Youji right now.  I don’t want to say something stupid and put distance between us.  As it is, it was all I could do not to laugh when he was offering to take Youji to a football game after we go back to the city and asked me if I wanted to go along.  I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but seriously, Aya.  Me?  At a football game?  He’s had way too much fresh air lately or something.”

 

“He’s trying to include you in his life, Chloe.  This is going to be the hardest thing you’re going to have to face in your relationship.  Yes, you had problems communicating at first, and you have that all worked out.  The whole house knows that your sexual relationship is just fine.  Now the problem you have is the one that all couples go through when they transition into a long term relationship.  How do you fit your interests and lifestyles in with your partner’s; how do you find common ground?”

 

“You mean other than the fact that we both kill people and arrange flowers?  Aya, we have NOTHING in common.  Books, music, sports, food, arts; we have absolutely nothing that we share an interest in.”

 

“Nothing right now, no.  Listen to me, Chloe.  When Youji and I started out, we were a lot like the two of you, opposites in so many ways.  Gradually, you find ways to mesh your interests.  You learn to compromise on the things that aren’t all that important to you.  You give time to the other person to make them happy, not because it’s something that you would ever enjoy without them.”

 

Chloe was desperate for answers, but he was also Chloe and this was a perfect opportunity to pump Aya for information, and Aya, wanting to help, would tell him what he wanted to know.  “For instance?”

 

“Youji loved to go clubbing and I hated it.  It wasn’t even so much that I disliked the music or dancing but I hated being in crowds.  I would do it for him though, and even managed to enjoy myself when I could tune the other people out and just watch him dance.  We didn’t do it all the time though, other weekends we would stay home and just be together.  I would read and he would grab his sketch book and pencils, and we would enjoy separate interests, but be together.”

 

“And you were satisfied with that?”

 

“It isn’t the sacrifice that you think.  Youji is absolutely gorgeous when he dances.”  The twinkle in Aya’s eyes showed just how much truth was in that statement.

 

“That’s something I think I’d like to see; and not just Youji.  The thought of the two of you in a club is positively mouthwatering.  We have to go when we get back to London.”

 

Aya looked away and fussed pointlessly with a plant he’d finished tending to ten minutes earlier.  “Things are different now, Chloe, and besides, we’re talking about you and Ken.  You said that he invited you to a football game, right?  So go to one.”

 

“Aya, you can’t be seriously suggesting that I walk into one of those stadiums filled with loud, intoxicated, sweaty…”

 

“So far, it sounds a lot like a nightclub to me,”  Aya teased him.

 

“It’s not at all the same and you know it!” Chloe fired back, sporting a well-developed pout.

 

The discussion focused back in safe territory, Aya looked back up at his friend with a small smile.  “No, it’s not,” he conceded.  “Actually what I meant originally was that you could try going to one of his community games instead of a big pro game.  He plays with a neighborhood group on the weekends at the park, and there’s plenty of shady spots along the side where you could sit and watch.”

 

“No crowd and the sweaty player is mine, huh?  Okay, this is sounding better already.  Sexy legs, slightly breathless, glistening skin, and I get to shower with him afterward?  Oh yes, this sounds much better.  Aya, you’re a genius.”

 

“Of course,” Aya agreed readily.  “Now all you need to do is think of something of yours that you could make more palatable for him.  Any ideas?”

 

Chloe gave it some thought as Aya replaced his gloves and went back to work, weeding the small section of the flower bed where he had taken up residence that afternoon.  The loud, “Oh!”, that came from Chloe caused Aya to look back up at his friend.

 

“He offered to go see a play with me weeks ago and I forgot all about it.”

 

“Ken offered to go to the theatre?” Aya asked.  “That’s surprising.”

 

“Not any play; it was just the one in particular.  I saw you reading ‘Much Ado’ a while ago and quoted it to him.   He was intrigued enough by the line that he offered to go see it with me.  I can’t believe I forgot that.”

 

“Well, you have your answer.  Now if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to get back to this, so go shopping or something already.”

 

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to go with me, Aya?  Maybe you could get something for Youji.”  Chloe paused as Aya gave him a stern look but being fearless - or foolish - Chloe continued, “I happen to know that there is a lovely little art supply store just off the main square on High Street.  I’m certain that they carry sketch pads and drawing pencils of excellent quality.”

 

Aya’s initial reaction had been to threaten Chloe with the small trowel he was wielding, but on further reflection, he thought that the art supplies might actually be a good idea.  He hadn’t seen any sketch books amongst Youji’s meager belongings and it was possible Youji would enjoy having the opportunity to draw again.  “Alright, give me a minute to clean up and put the tools away and I’ll meet you at the car.”

 

Chloe stood by the bench, stunned.  Although the offer had been genuine, he hadn’t really believed that Aya would take him up on it.  Smiling as he walked back to the house, Chloe decided that the day was turning out so well that he might just go ahead and buy Aya lunch after all.

 

*****

 

Youji had indeed enjoyed the sketch books very much and would have thanked Aya sooner if he had known how they had gotten into his room.  As it was, he was using them for three days before Chloe ‘accidentally’ let it slip that Aya had bought them on their little trip into town. 

 

Aya hadn’t spoken to Chloe for two days and Chloe’s foot still hurt, but Chloe deemed the results to be well worth it.  Especially when Ken decided to express his particular gratitude for Chloe’s matchmaking skills.  Apparently there were at least a few common interests between the two men, and getting Youji and Aya back together ranked high on the list.

 

Being able to draw again had had a soothing effect on Youji and it helped keep him from sliding back into the depression he sometimes succumbed to at night when he faced the prospect of an empty bed alone.  Free had long since stopped watching over him.  Since the night he had ‘found’ and ‘returned’ Aya’s sword, it was judged that Youji no longer needed the constant supervision.  He was no danger to himself or anyone else, but Youji was still lonely. 

 

One week after the incident in the greenhouse, Youji found himself unable to sleep and the sketch book, while fun, wasn’t the sort of thing he wanted to do at that hour. Reading would have been good, but he had finished the paperback he purchased at the hospital.  Youji remembered being shown a library in the corridor next to KR’s office and thought he would try to find a book there to borrow, even if just for the evening. 

 

Slipping on his new robe, a green silk extravagance from Chloe and Ken, Youji opened his door and walked down the hall.  When he reached the library, the door was open and the lamps inside were switched on.  It seemed as though someone else had had the same idea.  Peeking inside, Youji didn’t immediately see anyone, but a voice from behind the door told him that someone was indeed there.

 

“Youji?”

 

Walking further into the room, Youji spotted Aya seated with a large volume in one of KR’s overstuffed chairs, his legs tucked up and his reading glasses slipped slightly down his nose.  “Oh, hi, Aya.  I couldn’t sleep and thought maybe I would borrow a book, if you think Mr. Krypton wouldn’t mind,” he stammered.  He had been seeing Aya all around the castle for a week now, but for some reason seeing him tonight with those glasses...

 

“No, I’m certain that he wouldn’t mind at all.  Would you like me to help you find something in particular?”

 

“Well, no, I don’t really have any idea.  Maybe you could recommend something good?”

 

Setting his own book aside, Aya rose effortlessly and walked over to the wall of books, searching the shelves.  He tried his best to focus on the titles of the books and the subjects available, but the glass doors merely reflected the image he was trying to avoid.  ‘What the hell was Chloe thinking,’ Aya asked himself, ‘buying something like that for Youji.’  The silk clung to Youji’s body, outlining his chest and hips, and if the color could match his eyes any more perfectly, Aya didn’t know how. 

 

He must have been staring at the reflection for too long because Aya eventually heard Youji clear his throat behind him.  Shaking his head, he opened the door and grabbed the first book that caught his attention.  It wasn’t until he handed it to Youji that he realized he had picked up Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  With an internal wince, Aya apologized, “If you’d like something else, there are plenty of things here that would probably interest you more.  I…”

 

“No, really, this is fine, Aya.  I don’t want to be a bother and I’m sure this will be great.”  Taking the book and holding it in front of himself, Youji took a few steps backward before hitting the pool table.  “Ha, clumsy me,” he joked before turning around and fleeing the room.  ‘Oh, no,’ Youji groaned to himself.  ‘You just had to check out Aya’s ass while he stood in front of you.  Of course he would see you in the reflection of the glass, and that shocked look on Aya’s face when he caught your eyes... Youji Kudou,’ he scolded himself, ‘you are a first class idiot.’

 

Aya turned back around after Youji left, closed the door to the book cabinet, and then banged his head soundly against the glass.  ‘Stupid!’ he chided himself.  ‘He saw you staring at him in the reflection and ran out of here as though he was on fire.  He was just starting to talk to you, build a friendship with you again, and now he thinks you’re some kind of lecherous pervert.  First calling him ‘love’ in the greenhouse and now this.  Oh, it’s hopeless.’

 

Too irritated to focus on his reading anymore, Aya put his own selection back on the bookshelf and stalked down the hall to his room.  His thoughts alternated between being angry at himself and being aroused by the memory of Youji in that robe.  ‘Yes, really must remember to kill Chloe tomorrow for that kind gesture, but for now…’ 

 

Aya entered his room and turned on only the light on the nightstand before slamming his door.  Throwing himself on the bed, he commanded his body to ignore his libidinous thoughts and go to sleep.  The adrenaline coursing through Aya’s veins and making his heart race proved even more stubborn however, and Aya was quickly driven from the dangerous bed to pace the length and breadth of his room.  In his desperation to drive Youji’s beautiful body from his mind, Aya even tried to focus on his anger for both Chloe and himself.  Every warrior has a weak spot, however, an Achilles’ Heel, and Fujimiya’s had unforgettable green eyes.

 

Ken and Chloe were lying naked and spent when they heard the door to Aya’s room slam shut.  “That sounds bad,” Chloe remarked. 

 

“He’s probably still pissed off at you about the art supplies, you know,”  Ken replied.  “Maybe you should go over and at least try to apologize or something.”

 

“I don’t want to get up; I’m comfortable here right now and I don’t want to move,” Chloe pouted.

 

“Well you’re gonna have to move anyway, because I’m getting up to go to the kitchen to get a drink.  If you’re a good boy and go see Aya, I’ll make you a cup of tea while I’m there,”  Ken offered.

 

“Alright, fine.  Hand me my robe, would you?  We don’t need to scandalize Aya with my stellar, god-like body at this hour of the night.”

 

Ken rolled his eyes, but otherwise let the ridiculous comment go unanswered.  “Here you go,” Ken said as he handed Chloe’s robe over and belted his own.  With a passing, “I’ll see you in ten minutes,” Ken opened the door and walked down the hall.  As he headed toward the kitchen, Ken realized that Youji’s room wasn’t that far out of his way, so he detoured.  He thought that as long as he was this close, he would see if the man was still up and wanted anything.

 

Youji flew back to his room and leaned against the door after he shut it.  Closing his eyes, his memory provided a vivid image of Aya’s face wearing those wire-rimmed glasses.  As if that wasn’t bad enough to turn him into a stammering idiot, the tight black jeans had drawn his eyes to Aya’s ass like a magnet, and Youji wondered if he had been drooling as well.  “I don’t suppose I have to worry about him asking me if I like the book, since he’ll probably never speak to me again.” 

 

Moving away from the door, Youji carelessly tossed the book onto his desk and fell onto his bed.  The redhead was so damn beautiful, it should be illegal.  He’d only known the man for seven days more or less and he was hopelessly infatuated – with a man.  He wondered idly if he’d been gay or bisexual before his memory loss, and decided he must have been.  It wasn’t that the revelation bothered him so much as being a bit of a surprise, after having been happily married for all of the life that he could remember. 

 

What he could remember best right now, however, was Aya as he was in the library.  His hair, the back of his neck, the glasses over the amazingly colored eyes, the shape of his legs and ass under the jeans…  Youji shook his head as he stared up at the ceiling.  There was no way he was going to get to sleep now, not with that image fixed in his head.  He sighed as he unbelted his robe and started to stroke his insistent erection.

 

As Ken approached Youji’s room, he noted that there was a light coming from underneath the door and so he walked over, intending to knock.  As he raised his fist though, a distinctive sound caught Ken’s attention and stayed his hand.  After embarrassing both himself and his lover, and having now heard something similar for the last few weeks, he was, this time, well aware of what that sound was and what it meant. 

 

Ken tiptoed away from the door and was a few steps away when he heard the moan turn into a word.  Deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to stay, since no one would know and therefore couldn’t be ashamed, he waited just long enough to hear the name that caused a grin to appear on his face.  Armed with happy information, Ken continued his mission to the kitchen to get Chloe’s tea.

 

****

 

Chloe didn’t go next door right away.  Ken would be gone for ten minutes and would never know whether he went to see Aya or not.  Besides, he could now hear Aya pacing furiously and the muttered monologue that accompanied Aya’s footfalls didn’t sound altogether happy.  He’d wait for five minutes at least before risking his neck. 

 

After a few minutes, the noises changed again.  The cursing had finally stopped but now there was a repetitive banging sound.  Putting his ear up to their shared wall, Chloe brazenly listened in until he could discern what was occurring next door.  From the location of the noise on the wall placing it near Aya’s bed and the accompanying squeak of antique bedsprings it was suddenly clear.  Aya Fujimiya was jerking off.  Chloe couldn’t contain the smile on his face, and when his stoic teammate even called out Youji’s name seconds before the noise ceased, he had to throw a hand over his mouth to stifle the laugh.  He couldn’t wait for Ken to get back now.

 

When Ken came back, he bumped the door with his foot rather than try to open it while holding two hot beverages.  As Chloe opened the door, both men grinned at each other and said simultaneously, “You’ll never guess what I just heard.”

 

Ken came in and set down the drinks while Chloe closed the door.  “You first,” Ken said confidently.

 

“Aya Fujimiya was masturbating in the next room and calling out Youji’s name.  Top that,” Chloe challenged Ken.

 

“Youji was in his room whacking off and screaming for Aya.  Do I beat you, or tie?”

 

“Perhaps it’s something in the air, but I think maybe I’d like you to tie me up first and then beat me...off that is,” Chloe hinted. 

 

The type of leer now forming on Chloe’s face was usually something that scared Ken, but tonight he was in such a good mood, Ken decided that it sounded like a decent prize.  Chloe paused and his heart skipped a beat as he saw his own expression mirrored on his partner’s face.  Handing over the tie from his own robe, Chloe commented enthusiastically, “Oh, this will be fun.”


	16. Chapter 16

The next day, a mission came in.

 

KR had hoped to be able to give them at least two weeks off.  Give everyone time to adapt to this startling change in their lives, but this mission couldn’t wait.  Summoning everyone except Youji to his office, Mihirogi began the briefing.

 

“We’ve been working on gathering information on this group for quite some time.  The husband and wife are the owners of a large, apparently prosperous farming estate.  Two years ago, they converted a guest house on the property into a home for unwed mothers.  With the backing of several well meaning church groups, they have been able to receive referrals for girls indirectly and thus keep their names out of the press, allegedly in the name of protecting the girls.  On the surface, it all seems above board and legitimate; they even have photos and letters from the girls hanging on the walls of the house showing how happy they are in their new lives.  The offer appeals to the girls who have been ostracized from their families because of the pregnancy.  They are told that all expenses will be paid while they are on the farm, and they will be given a stipend and helped to find work so that they can keep their children after they are born if they wish.”

 

As she spoke, Mihirogi distributed photos around the table showing the targets and some of the sample photos and letters from the girls.  She continued, “We managed to obtain copies of the ‘testimonial’ letters and photos and have determined that while the faces match, the bodies of the girls showing them with their children are computer-doctored composites of other girls.  It took some time to gather enough photos of the girls for comparison, but we are now quite certain that these are fake.  We had originally begun our investigation of the couple due to discrepancies in their reported income and substantial accounts that have been traced back to them.  We suspected that they were taking the babies at birth and selling them for profit.  Given the doctored photos and our inability to find any of the young women, we now also believe that they are killing the mothers and hiding the bodies somewhere on the farm.”

 

KR spoke up, “I need you to get in, eliminate the targets, and obtain any data they have on the girls and the locations of the children; financial records as well, if it’s possible.  You’ll have to go in on foot.  I’d like to keep the girls in the guesthouse unaware, so quiet is essential.  I dislike sending you in this soon after Mr. Kudou’s arrival, but of the six girls currently in residence, two of them are due in the next fortnight and I don’t want to take the risk of an early delivery.  I have arranged for someone from one of the church groups to ‘find’ the bodies in the morning so that we don’t need to worry about hiding them or having the girls frightened.”

 

“If all of you are in,” Mihirogi asked, “we can go over the maps of the house and the area and begin planning?”

 

KR observed six grim nods before he stood and left the room.  He hadn’t really doubted that they would undertake this mission; the nature of the crime was so heinous, it was easy to decide.  He would leave them in Mihirogi’s care to continue the planning phase.

 

*****

 

The last of the plans had been completed.  They would leave in an hour and fly to a small airport that was only a twenty-five mile drive to the farm.  Mihirogi would arrange for rugged transport to get them across some of the farm land and the rest of the distance they would have to cover on foot.  It wasn’t expected that this would be a difficult mission, but they were always as well prepared as possible.

 

As Mihirogi returned her papers to their folder, she asked, “Are there any other questions?”

 

“Yeah, what about Youji?” Ken asked.  “I’ve got to go pick him up from the clinic now, and he’s gonna wonder why I couldn’t hang around with him today and where we’re all going tonight, don’t you think?”

 

“Ken raises a valid point,” Free agreed.  It may be time to…”

 

“No!” Aya shouted.

 

“Aya, you can’t keep him at arm’s length forever,” Chloe chided.  “His options aren’t exactly numerous here.  You can’t expect him to just stay here at the castle forever without any explanation at all as to why he’s been…”

 

“No!” Aya insisted.  “He’s safe here.  He’ll be happy here.”

 

“Aya, Youji is a social creature.  He needs to be with people,”  Free asserted.

 

“He needs to be with his friends,” Ken added.

 

“Aya,” KR’s voice called from the doorway, “Would you mind going and waiting for me in my office, please?  I’ll be there in a moment.”

 

Frustration and anger written over his features, Aya picked up his copies of the maps and plan details and stormed out of the conference room.  When he was gone, KR closed the door and turned to the remaining members of the Side B team.

 

“I take it from your reactions, that the rest of you have reached some sort of group consensus about what you would like to see made available for Mr. Kudou’s future?”  KR asked.

 

“Youji reminds me a lot of myself when I first came here.  All of you were very kind to me and took me in.  I’d like to do the same for him.”  The determination on Yuki’s face supported his words and by his side, Michel nodded enthusiastically.

 

“He’s very nice.  I think he’ll be great fun to have around if he’s allowed.”  Michel wasn’t as sure this was open for debate, but he wanted to put his opinion in all the same.

 

“Free?” KR turned his gaze to the stoic man in the middle of the crowd.  “Your opinion?”

 

Free reached into a pocket and drew forth a deck of cards.  Without looking, he drew one from the deck and laid it down on the table, picture side up.  The Lovers.  “It isn’t good to separate that which is destined to be together.  The conflict will continue until they are reunited.”

 

“You two?”  KR’s glance now rested on Chloe and Ken.

 

“Even if I disagreed, and I don’t by the way, I make it a policy never to argue with Free’s cards,” Chloe quipped.

 

“I want whatever Youji wants, but it would be cool to have him together with us again.  So what do I tell him?” Ken waited while KR pondered his question.

 

“I want to talk to Aya first, but tell Youji that I’ll want to see him later tonight, alright?”

 

“Sure thing.”  Ken gave Chloe’s arm a brief squeeze and waved to the others before he jogged for the door.  “Later, guys,” he called over his shoulder on the way.  “Grab a sandwich for me to eat on the way, will you?”

 

KR looked at the remaining four and nodded.  “I’ll talk to Aya.  In the meantime, the rest of you should finish getting ready and get some dinner, you have a long night ahead of you.”  It would not be a pleasant talk, but there was no point putting it off either.  Not the type to procrastinate, KR turned and headed directly for his office.

 

When he arrived, Aya was still steaming and looking as though he was trying to wear a hole in the rug with his pacing.  “Aya, sit down, please.”  KR waited until Aya complied before he walked around the desk and sat in his own chair.

 

“I know that you have strong opinions concerning Mr. Kudou’s welfare, and I will give you the chance to talk about them, but first I have something that I wanted to show you.”  KR opened a folder and removed a photocopy of a newspaper article.  Sliding it across the desk, he said, “I believe we may have discovered why the timing was considered to be so critical and Mr. Kudou’s silence so very important in regard to Mamoru Takatori’s welfare.” 

 

The article recapped a recent political scandal which resulted in the resignation of a high cabinet official and the individual who was expected to be named as a replacement by the Prime Minister.  According to the paper,  the new Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission would be industry heir Mamoru Takatori.  Despite his young age, the candidate was considered to be a well-qualified individual, suitable for the job and possessing the support of many influential members of the Diet and Cabinet. 

 

“May I direct your attention to the date on that article, Aya?” KR asked.

 

Aya looked to the top of the page to see that this had run ten days earlier, closely coinciding with Youji’s arrival in England.  “Any hint of a scandal involving him or any of his employees would have stopped his plans.  Did he get the post?”

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact, he did.  The scandal doesn’t seem to have been manufactured, as far as I can tell, but it did have a little help getting to the press.  The previous minister had been very careful to cover his tracks and only someone with a very good information network could have gotten proof.  Certainly not the work of the paper that ‘broke’ the story two weeks ago,” KR explained.

 

“For this,” Aya growled, “he threatened Youji’s life.  Success at all costs.  How very Takatori of him.”  Aya took a breath and tried to regain his composure.  “At least that probably means I don’t need to worry about Aya-chan.  If that was his motivation, she’s no threat to him and he ought to leave her alone.”

 

“Glad to hear that.”  Whether KR meant Aya’s words or how he said them, he never specified.  He continued, “Now, I believe we had agreed to discuss Mr. Kudou.”

 

“Yes.  I don’t want him anywhere near our missions.  The only good thing that has come out of the tragedy of his injury is that no one expects him to kill anymore, and I intend to keep it that way.”

 

“Agreed.  Until or unless he regains his full memory, his talents would be far too unstable in the field.  If he asks me, however, I will give him a job with intelligence.  His information gathering skills are as excellent as they ever were, and I would be a fool to turn him down.”

 

“I don’t want him to know.”

 

“What you do?”

 

“No...what he did.  I don’t want him to remember any part of the killing if it can be helped.”

 

“He already knows that much, Aya.”  A shocked expression from the agent met his employer’s face.  “He doesn’t remember the missions per se, but he does know that he killed people.  A man with that many scars is going to think, Aya.  He let himself believe for a long time that many of the marks were from the accident at the Academy, but in light of his wife’s behavior, Youji’s begun to rethink many things he was trained to believe.  He can see that someone shot him, he’s guessed that he killed people, and he assumes that Takatori was involved.  Even if he doesn’t have the exact picture in his head, the awareness is there, and he’s accepted it.”

 

“It’s dangerous for him to be around us if he doesn’t know how to defend himself.”

 

“It’s dangerous for him to be on his own as well, Aya.  Remember, Kritiker isn’t the only agency that knows he’s out of Japan and released from their protection now.  I think he might be safer with you than he would be on his own.”

 

Aya looked defeated.  He was torn between conflicting scenarios and how best to protect the man that he loved more than anyone else, with the possible exception of his sister.  When Aya took on a burden, he carried it like a cross, and allowed no one to help him.  He had gotten a little better about it over the years, but it was still Aya’s initial instinct to curl within himself and brood.

 

“Before you get too far ahead of yourself, Aya, I haven’t talked with Youji directly yet.  I will have a talk with him about his future while the rest of you are on the mission.  This was going to happen sooner or later.  I had originally thought that I would have a few more days, but it won’t make that much difference.  I will be asking him what he would like to do.  My question to you is, if he wants to stay with the rest of you, would you welcome him?  If it would be too difficult for you, you are still my first priority; I need to know.”

 

Aya’s first thought had been that Youji wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him.  Then, he realized that the friendship that Youji was building with his teammates would be an anchor for him right now.  To separate him from his only friends… “I’ll find a way to make it work, if that’s what he wants.  There’s also something of a space issue, but I think we could remodel one of the storage rooms and make it work.”

 

“You’ll have plenty of time for that; I don’t believe he’ll be ready to transition out of his therapy sessions for at least another two weeks.  He’ll have to come back at regular intervals for a while to check in with his doctor, but I think she believes that that time may come sooner than any of us had expected.  I think that you are underestimating how profound an effect finding you and Ken has had on him.  You are important to him, Aya, on many levels.”

 

Aya closed his eyes and smiled slightly.  There was precious little in the world that Richard Krypton couldn’t do, but he was an absolute master when it came to talking to people.  Aya wondered how it was that KR could not only change a person’s mind, but do it in such a way that it seemed to be both reasonable and acceptable.  Aya had entered the office determined to keep Youji at the castle, and now felt like a selfish idiot for trying to keep him at arm’s length.  Opening his eyes, Aya conceded, “You win.  I’ll talk to the others and make plans after the mission if it’s what Youji wants.”

 

KR smiled benevolently; he wasn’t one to gloat over his victories.  “Good luck on the mission and try to stay focused.  I don’t expect there to be any problems, but I don’t want you to be distracted by any of this either.”

 

“I would have been more distracted if we hadn’t had this conversation, sir.  Thank you for your time...and for caring.”

 

KR stood up and extended his hand to Aya.  “Anytime, my boy.”

 

Aya shook his hand and left the office to change into his mission gear and grab a quick bite to eat.  It was going to be a long night and it was time to get started.

 

*****

 

Youji heard the sound of the helicopter leaving just minutes before a knock sounded at his door.  He opened it to find Richard Krypton in the hallway.

 

“Did Ken tell you that I wanted to see you tonight?” he asked.

 

“Yes.  I’m sorry, should I have gone to your office right away?  He didn’t say what time I should…”

 

“No, this is fine.  May I come in?  I suspect we’ll both be more comfortable here than in my office anyway.”

 

“Yes, please.”  Youji stood aside and watched as KR took the chair by the desk and he returned to sit on the bed.  “What can I do for you?”

 

“That’s what I came to ask you.  Your doctors tell me that you are making excellent progress, but nothing more practical.  I was wondering what more I could do to make this transition a little easier for you.”

 

“You’ve already done so much by just getting me here, giving me a place to live and medical care.  I can’t imagine taking anything else from you,” Youji protested.

 

“The seven people who just left here on that helicopter are more family to me than employees, and you are family to two of them.  Even if I didn’t feel any responsibility toward you, I would do everything that I could for you for their sake.”

 

Youji blushed at KR’s declaration.  In the face of his own employer’s and wife’s betrayals, he felt the loyalty and affection of KR’s assertion strike deep at his heart. “I feel very grateful to all of you for your support and understanding.  It was strange enough getting out of the hospital with no memory and no past, and now I’ve lost my present but gained a piece of that past back.  I’m sorry, I’m not making much sense here, am I?”

 

“I understand what you’re trying to say.  It must be very difficult trying to process all of this.  Have you given any thought at all to where you might like to go from here?  It’s fine trying to work out your past, but don’t forget that you have a present and a future to forge in any way you see fit.”

 

“I wasn’t really sure what kind of options I had.  Asuka took my passport with her when she left, not that a dead man can get work in a foreign country.  I don’t really know what I can do from this point.”

 

“Let’s not worry about your documents at this point.  If your options were unlimited, what would you like to do?” KR asked.  “Your job at Kritiker Solutions, for instance.  Did you enjoy what you did there?”

 

“Yes and no.  I liked the people that I worked with, and I was really good with the clients, but the office work, well, I didn’t really care for that part of it much.  I suppose I’d be content with anything as long as I wasn’t stuck behind a desk all day.”

 

“And providing, of course, that you liked your co-workers,” KR added.

 

Youji nodded and then looked as though he wanted to ask something but stopped.  KR leaned forward in the chair and nudged Youji’s knee.  “Go on.  What is it you want to ask?”

 

“What the others do for you...what they’re doing right now...is that something that I could do as well?”

 

“Most of the time, the four men run the Kitten’s House flower shop in London while the boys go to school.  As for the other things that they do, no, I’m afraid that is something you aren’t ready for.”

 

“The Kitten’s House.  That’s the same name as the shop in Tokyo that I was in the day my memory started to come back.  Do you know if I used to work there?”

 

“Yes, there were four of you who worked there at the time, and the woman who owns it now is Aya’s sister.  I think Aya chose the name for the shop here as a way of keeping his memories of you alive.”

 

“I’d like to do what I can to help.  I must have some memory of the flower shop.  I must have spent at least three days a week buying flowers for my wife, even though she didn’t really enjoy them all that much.  If I could help them with the shop, would that allow them more time to do the things for you that I can’t?” Youji asked.

 

“Actually, there are a few things that you might be able to help with.  Plus, your presence would also give each of them more time off to relax, and there would be someone to cover the shop when I did need them.  Is this something you would be willing and interested in doing?”

 

Youji suddenly remembered Aya’s reaction and wondered how comfortable he would be having to work beside Youji day in and day out.  “If they wanted me, yes, I would, but I’m not sure that…”

 

“They have already told me that they would all be more than happy to have you join them, if that’s what you wanted.”

 

“Are you certain they all said it was alright?”

 

“Yes, did you think someone might object?” KR asked, confusion furrowing his brow.  “There is no pressure.  You may stay here, or you may join them in London.  The choice is yours.”

 

Not wanting to explain his previous hesitation if Aya had indeed agreed with the others, Youji smiled and said, “In that case, when can I start?”

 


	17. Chapter 17

The mission went as expected, more or less.  It was bloody and unpleasant and there was a nasty surprise when the wife pulled a gun from the nightstand, but Aya was faster. 

 

While the boys hacked the targets’ computers, the rest of Side B conducted a thorough search of the house and found evidence to corroborate all of KR’s suspicions.  A ‘building project’ on the back of the farm, whose ground breaking took place two years earlier and was never finished, gave them a clue as to where the bodies might have been buried. 

 

Free and Chloe located and broke into a wall safe that yielded bank books and two DVD’s.  Free took the discs to the target’s desktop computer and opened them.  Within seconds, he closed the window, instructed the computer to save the data to the hard drive and pocketed the discs to take back to KR. 

 

When the group was satisfied that they had found all the evidence and had scanned the bank books and ledgers into their own portable computer, they returned the books to the safe and closed down their laptop.  Free didn’t elaborate on what the discs in his pocket contained, and Aya suspected that he wouldn’t as long as Yuki and Michel were present.  The young men weren’t innocents, but there were things that the other four members of Side B tried to shelter the boys from, as much as possible.

 

Soon they were on their way back to Mihirogi, who had waited with the vehicles.  They drove in silence back to the airport, only speaking to her long enough to confirm the mission’s success.  After phoning the ‘all clear’ to KR, the group boarded the helicopter back to the castle.

 

*****

 

Despite the lateness of the hour, the team arrived to find most of the castle’s lights still on and, through the windows, spotted Youji and Richard Krypton still awake and working on something in KR’s office.  As they made their way through the empty hallways, the sounds of mirth reached their ears until they reached the doorway.  Leaning over a large table on which architectural drawings had been spread, KR and Youji stopped laughing and looked up from their project as the team entered the room.

 

Now all business, KR spoke first.  “Did everything go according to plan?”

 

Mihirogi walked to the desk and handed over the discs before setting the laptop case next to the desk.  “Yes,” she said glancing over at Youji momentarily.  “Did you wish to be briefed now or in the morning?”

 

“In the morning is fine.  I dare say all of you are quite tired, and it appears as though there is some data to sift through, as well.  Unless there is something that you think can’t wait, I’ll take your reports tomorrow,” KR directed.

 

Youji was staring intently at Aya, or more precisely, Aya’s coat, which was spattered with drops of blood.  “Are you all right?” he finally asked.

 

“Yes,” Aya answered simply.  “What are you doing?”

 

“We were just, ah, looking over some plans,” Youji replied.

 

“I remembered that we had some floor plans of your building from the time when it was purchased and had to be retrofitted for your use.  I thought they might be handy for sorting out where to put Mr. Kudou, and so we’ve been studying them and discussing some things since dinner,” KR explained.

 

“So you are going to move in?”  Ken asked excitedly.

 

“Yeah, if that’s still okay with everybody,” Youji answered.

 

While Michel cheered and Ken whooped, Chloe extended his hand to Youji, “Welcome to the nut house.”

 

“All right, boys, out of my office and off to bed with you.  We can talk more about this in the morning, but now I’m tired and I want all of you off my good rug.”  KR ordered.

 

Youji walked past and followed the others out of the room while Aya stood fixed in his place and stared at him.  He was acting so...normally. 

 

When Youji reached the door, he stopped and turned to face Aya.  “You coming?” he asked.

 

Aya nodded and forced his feet to follow Youji.  It was as if nothing was wrong at all.  How could he be so unaffected by what he’d seen?  He asked himself many questions as he followed the chatting group of his teammates, until they split apart to head for their separate rooms.

 

Taking off his mission gear, he carefully cleaned his sword and coat before slipping into the shower to wash himself.  The hot water felt good on his sore muscles after their long hike through the field and he suspected all his teammates would sleep long and well this evening.  He wondered as he dried and dressed in bedclothes whether Youji’s sleep would be peaceful or not.

 

*****

 

When Youji got back from the clinic early the next afternoon, he was in a great mood.  He’d had a nice talk with his doctor about continuing his sessions on a part-time basis from London and allowing himself to get excited about starting a new chapter in his life.  He admitted that he still had times when he missed Asuka and felt depressed, but being able to keep busy, and rediscovering how much he liked to draw, had really helped him a great deal.

 

Youji’s good mood didn’t last any longer, though, than the time it took him to walk into the dining room and see all his new roommates engaged in a shouting match over the building plans and the remains of their lunchtime breakfast dishes.

 

“I think we should get the new room,” Michel pouted.

 

“Absolutely,” Yuki agreed, “you guys are always complaining about the noise from our video games and we’d be far enough away so that you wouldn’t have to hear it.”

 

“No,” Free stated emphatically, “I don’t want you two that far away from the rest of us.”

 

“You make it sound as though we’d be in the next town,” Michel retorted.

 

“Well, if the room should go to the noisiest people, I should think Chloe and Ken would fill that bill,” Aya said sarcastically.

 

“You know, Aya, as much as I’d love to have the nice big room, I just want to point out to you that swordsmen who live in glass castles shouldn’t go tossing their katanas around,”  Chloe fired back.

 

“Why don’t I take the room?” Ken offered.  “It’s not like I’ll be in it all that much anyway, and we’ll all still be together.”

 

“NO!” Michel and Yuki shouted in unison.

 

Aya, still blushing from realizing what Chloe had heard that prompted his remark, interjected, “If I take the room, then all of you can just stay over there and make noise to your heart’s content.”

 

From his unnoticed viewing place in the doorway, Youji cleared his throat and said, “Excuse me.  Would anyone mind if I made a suggestion?”

 

In the silence that followed, a pin drop would have seemed loud.  It appeared as though the group was a bit embarrassed at having been caught arguing over what was to have been Youji’s new room.

 

“When Mr. Krypton and I were looking over the drawing last night, I saw that you already have Yuki and Michel in one room together, and there’s only space to add one new room in the unused storage area.  I was thinking that maybe Chloe and Ken, if they wanted to, could take the new room.  It’s big enough to be comfortable for two people, and that would leave two empty rooms for Yuki or Michel and I to have one each.”

 

“Move in together?  Permanently?” Ken asked.

 

“Well, yeah, I mean you guys are...aren’t you?” Youji questioned as he gestured between the two men with a wave of his hand.

 

“Umm, yeah, but how did you…?” Ken stammered.

 

“Ken, man, I’ve got memory problems, but there’s nothing wrong with my eyes and ears.  So, what do you think?”

 

“I think,” Chloe finally spoke, “that it’s brilliant.”

 

“Really?” Ken asked.

 

“Yes, really, but only if it’s what you want as well.  If you don’t, I’m sure Youji’s genius can work something else out.”

 

“Yeah, I think it would be good,”  Ken said with a smile.  “Thanks, Youji.”

 

“Good.  Well, if anybody needs me for anything, I’m gonna grab my sketch book and go to the garden.  I want to take advantage of my last few days here to draw some stuff I’ve had my eye on.  See you later, guys.”  With a wave goodbye, Youji stepped back into the corridor and out of sight.

 

Ken turned to the rest of the group and vocalized what all of them were thinking.  “I feel like an idiot.  I can’t believe we were arguing over his room like...like…”

 

“Wolves? Sharks? Piranhas?”  Free suggested.

 

“Yes, thank you, Free.  I think we get the idea.”  Chloe turned back to the rest of the group and added, “Seriously though, we ought to do something nice for him.  He’s really excited about this move, don’t you think?”

 

Aya looked toward the door as he repeated Youji’s words, “Last few days?  He thinks he’s coming back with us.  That room will take at least a week to get fixed up, and then we would still have to move the two of you down there.”

 

“Oh, no way!  We can’t make him stay here if he wants to come back with us.  He doesn’t have much stuff yet; why can’t he just sleep in my room for now?”  Ken wondered.

 

“Well, if you don’t mind, I certainly don’t have any objections,” Aya answered.

 

“But Aya,” Chloe said in a whisper as he bent close to Aya’s ear, “wouldn’t you rather let him stay with you?  You have a rather nice double bed, as I recall.”

 

Aya stomped Chloe’s foot under the table just before he stood and rolled up the floorplan.  “I’ll just take this back to KR, since no one has anything valuable to say.”  Gathering his dignity, Aya marched from the room, grinning as he heard Chloe vocalizing his pain.

 

*****

 

Ken caught up with Youji in the garden where the man was sitting on the ground near a patch of iris.

 

“Hey, mind if I join you?” Ken asked.

 

“Nah, help yourself; just don’t sit in front of the light, okay?” Youji responded.

 

“No problem.  The grass over here is nicer than that gravel you’re perching on, anyway.”  After he got comfortable, he asked, “So, you’re really coming down to London to live with us?”

 

“As long as that’s okay with everyone, I think I’d really like to.”

 

“It’s terrific.  I wanted to let you know about the room thing, though.  The new room won’t be ready for a while, we have to do a lot of work in there to get it livable, but you can still come down with us this weekend if you don’t mind bunking in my room for a while.  You’d have the room to yourself at night; it’s just that my stuff is all still in there and I’d be in and out during the day.”

 

“That’s really nice of you, Ken.  Thanks.  I hadn’t thought about having to fix up the storage room.  Guess I shouldn’t have assumed.  As long as it’s not a bother, I can help you guys with the work next week, if you could use the extra pair of hands for painting and stuff.”

 

“Yeah.  Thanks for helping with the idea and everything, too.  We were being jerks, fighting over it like that, when we should have been thinking about you.”

 

Youji shrugged his shoulder.  “I don’t need much space right now.  Let’s face it; everything I own in the world fits into two suitcases.  It was way too much space for me, and I’m glad this works out for everyone.”

 

Ken let Youji continuing sketching for a while, then peeked over his shoulder to see his progress.  “Wow, you’re every bit as good as you used to be.”

 

“So I really did do this before?  I kinda figured, but it’s nice to know for sure.  There are a lot of things I’d like to know more about, but now probably isn’t the time to ask too many questions.”

 

“Why not?  What do you want to know?  I’ll tell you, if I can,” Ken offered.

 

“Tell me if it’s none of my business, but, you and Chloe...you met him here, right?”

 

“Yes, he wasn’t part of our old group, if that’s what you’re asking?”

 

“No, I know there’s one other person besides us; but that was Mamoru Takatori, wasn’t it?”

 

Ken spoke softly and dropped his head to answer.  “Yeah, only we knew him by a different name then.”

 

“I take it you didn’t leave Japan under any happier circumstances than I did.”

 

“I was told to leave or else.  And I had to take Aya’s sword away from you, too.  I’d be pissed off enough with Omi just for that, but then Schuldig let slip that he’d been sleeping with Nagi, and I…”

 

“Whoa, back up.  Omi, Schuldig, Nagi...who the heck are these people?” Youji asked.

 

“Sorry, man.  The names aren’t all that important.  Mamoru used to be called Omi when he was with us, and he was a great guy then; always happy, energetic, and really smart.  He still is smart I guess, but now he does things for himself and traded me in for a better model.”

 

“You were sleeping with him, and now he’s with one of those other people you mentioned?”

 

“Nagi, yeah.  The real kicker is that Schuldig and Nagi and two other guys were the enemy back in our day.  Now, Nagi is his bodyguard, and if Schu’s to be believed, his lover, too.”

 

“I’m sorry,”  Youji apologized.

 

“It’s okay.  I’m still pissed at him for what he’s done to all of us, but I’ve mostly gotten over the other stuff.  It helps that I have Chloe now.  That’s still kind of new, but it’s good.  It’ll get better for you, too, Youji.  Just give it some time.”

 

“I know.  I feel a little better about some things already.  Having some plans for what to do next helps, too.  It’ll be cool to run the shop with you guys and see if I remember what to do in a flower shop.  I was always hanging around in florists in Tokyo.  It kinda pissed off my wife that I spent so much on flowers, but it always made me feel better.”

 

“Free says you can’t escape destiny.  Maybe he’s right.  Still, it’s kinda funny; you always tried to find ways to get out of working before and now you can’t wait to get started.  I really wish I still had some pictures of the four of us from back then.”

 

“Yeah, me, too.  Other than being lazy, was I an okay guy?  I mean, I never gave you or Mamoru, I mean Omi, crap about stuff, did I?” Youji asked hesitantly.

 

“You were always giving all of us a hard time; you were the perfect big brother.  I could talk to you about anything and you only ribbed me about some of it.  You were so damn fun to have around.  You always were the only person who could get Aya to smile, let alone laugh.”

 

“I meant...nevermind, I guess it was okay.”  Youji sighed and went back to staring at the flowers and wondering what Ken meant about making Aya smile.

 

Ken thought for a minute and finally asked, “You mean a hard time as in because he and I were lovers?”  When Youji nodded, Ken exclaimed, “Heck no.  Why would you do that?”

 

“I don’t know.  I guess when you don’t know anything about yourself, you kinda wake up wondering if someday you’ll find out that you were an asshole and that’s why no one ever came looking for you.”  Youji finally said the thing that had been preying on his mind ever since he woke up in the hospital.

 

“No, it wasn’t like that man, really.  They kept us away from you by telling us that you’d forgotten everything; that you would be happier that way.  Even with that, I think Aya and Omi may have fought about you before he left Japan.  I don’t know a lot about what happened then.  I was hanging out in a prison, busy busting heads while trying to get my own straightened out.  When I came out, Aya was gone and Omi wanted me to leave the country, for good.”

 

“Why would I be happier?  Was I that miserable?”  Youji asked.

 

“Things had sucked for all of us for a couple of months.  It didn’t start out bad, but some weird stuff happened with Aya’s sister and your old girlfriend, and just when we thought it was getting better, something else would happen.  We just couldn’t catch a break.  Things are a lot better here, at least it has been for Aya and me, and I think you’ll do better here, too.”

 

As Youji went back to sketching, a smile broke out over his face and he said, “I used to make Aya smile, huh?”


	18. Chapter 18

Youji’s first week in London went by quickly.  Working in the pleasant little shop felt natural and Youji picked up the basics of his new job quickly.  Getting to spend the days and evenings with his amazing new friends was a nice bonus as well.   Because they not only worked together but lived together as well, they had formed a tight bond and he felt privileged to be included in their circle. 

 

To facilitate the reality that was Youji’s new home, KR had generously contributed to the renovation project by providing for the services of an electrician, a plumber, and a mason to add wiring and a small bathroom for the remodeled space.  The electricians had finished quickly, the plumbers the day before, and today was the day for the mason.  Chloe and Ken had managed to choose a shower, toilet, and sink and had settled on glass block to close off the bathroom from the rest of the space, but that was apparently all they were going to agree on. 

 

Yesterday, the first skirmish of the battle of the bedroom had taken place and today was shaping up to be an impressive counter offensive.  They had, so far, confined the battle to the back of the store, but their voices were rising slightly with each new exchange; and by now everyone knew that Ken thought Chloe was a decadent snob and Chloe thought Ken was a color-blind fashion victim. 

 

Aya was rapidly reaching his boiling point and the fight had to stop for everyone’s sake.  Free caught Youji’s eye and motioned him to move over to Ken while he tried to corral Chloe.  Aya burned holes in all of them with his eyes until a customer demanded his attention.

 

Free pulled Chloe off to the workbench and sat him down with a list of arrangements to be made.  “I suggest,” he began, “that if you do not want Aya to tread on your foot again, you remain silent until the customers are gone.”

 

Youji asked Ken to help him move some large planters to the front from the storeroom, thinking that a little manual labor would help him burn off the adrenaline.  “You gonna be okay?” Youji asked.

 

“Yeah, I know you guys think we’re being stupid, but I’ve gotta live in this room and I’m not interested in pink paisley,” Ken complained.

 

Youji’s eyebrows went up.  “Seriously?  He’s actually talking pink paisley?”

 

“No,” Ken laughed, “I’m just being a smart ass.  He’s talking about silks and velvets and that’s just not me.  Does the guy not even consider the idea of actually having to wash these things?  I mean, if we get...uh, I mean.”  Ken’s tirade came to an abrupt end when he flushed with embarrassment.

 

“I know.  They aren’t just for show, you’re actually going to sleep, and not sleep, while you’re on them.  Believe it or not, I went through a lot of this same stuff when I got married.  Not so much the whole satin thing, Asuka wasn’t into impractical, but, oh, the arguments we had about color and patterns.”

 

“See, you understand what I’m talking about then?  Can you make him see reason?” Ken pleaded.

 

“I can also see his point of view, though, Ken.  It’s the same argument you made.  You two are going to share this space and you both have to like it.  The first and hardest lesson I learned when I got married was the art of compromise.  It won’t kill you to give in on the stuff that doesn’t matter as much.”

 

Ken nodded, but didn’t say anything else.  Once Yuki and Michel got home from school, Aya asked them to watch the store for fifteen minutes while he hauled his four colleagues to the back room.

 

“For two days now, I have listened to the whining, the sniping, and the outright yelling, and now I’m telling you that you are done.  This will end one of three ways.  One, you will march your asses out of here and not come back until you have everything you need and are happy again.  Two, you will march out of here and never come back.  Three, Free and I will go get your supplies and you will learn to love them.  You, gentlemen, have three choices and you will make one of them now.”

 

“Wow, remind me not to piss you off,” Youji remarked.

 

Aya sent a wilting glare in Youji’s direction while Chloe and Ken snickered quietly.  Free turned his head slightly so no one could ever say for certain if he had laughed or not.

 

“Whoa, them not me, remember?”  Youji put his hands up in a gesture of surrender before pointing back to the ‘happy’ couple in question.

 

When Aya turned back to Chloe and Ken, Youji’s sigh was audible, but Aya chose to ignore it in favor of his primary target.  “Well?” he asked impatiently.

 

“Can we take Youji with us?”  Ken asked.  When the others looked baffled, Ken explained.  “He’s done this before, Aya.  I think he could help negotiate a compromise for us...sort of like he did with the room.  So?  Can we borrow him for the rest of the day?  It’s been kinda slow anyway.”

 

Aya could see the grin on Chloe’s face at the prospect of leaving work early and battled with himself over the lesser of two evils.  Why should they be rewarded for causing trouble?  There had to be a way around this…

 

“Fine.  The three of you can leave now.  However, there will be an appropriate list of chores for the store that you will have to complete either tonight or tomorrow before we open.  Your choice.”

 

“How generous of you,” Chloe complained.  Aya’s look said very clearly that there were other options so Chloe continued, “Fine, fine, we’ll do it.  Let’s go before he changes his mind.”

 

The first thing that Youji did was stop at the corner drugstore for a notepad and two pens.  Then he dragged the men to a coffee shop and sat them down.  “I want you to make a list for me in four columns.  What you hate, what you dislike, what you like, and what you can’t live without; and be honest with it.  Don’t put everything in the ‘hate’ and ‘can’t live without’ columns or this won’t work.”

 

Each man sat and spent a good half hour writing down what they wanted and didn’t, and then handed the sheets to Youji.  He spent a little time reading over them while he finished off his second cup of coffee.  “It’s really not as hopeless as you guys are acting.  I honestly think we can find something that you can both live with.  Let’s go.”

 

It was a long afternoon of shopping.  Chloe was as happy as he’d ever been, but Ken was showing signs of wear after the third store.  By the time they returned home, however, they had a car full of things and had accomplished everything on their list.  The only thing they weren’t bringing home was the carpet, and that would be delivered late the next day. Clearly dragging Youji along had been a stroke of genius, and Chloe had begun thanking Ken profusely for the idea by the time they had progressed to the paint store.

 

Shaking his head, Ken deferred all the credit to Youji.  “I owe you for this, man.  I never would have bought this stuff for myself, but I’ve got to admit that I’m happy with all of it.  It’ll look really cool when it’s done.”

 

“You’ll have to let us do something for you next, Youji,” Chloe insisted.  “You’ve not only saved us from our own stubbornness, but also from Aya’s wrath.”

 

“For now, I’d just settle for you guys tackling whatever list of chores he left behind.  If his looks were anything to go by, it’ll be brutal, and I’m too tired to deal with it.”

 

The look on Chloe’s face clearly indicated he was hoping for something a little less labor intensive, but he nodded anyway.

 

“We owe you at least that much, Youji.  It was our fault anyway,” Ken stated.  “Go to bed and we’ll take care of it.”

 

Upon their return, the men stacked their purchases inside the back room, found Aya’s list and groaned at its length.

 

Chloe observed, “I suppose I should be grateful that there are no dishes to be washed this time, but he’s getting more creative every day.”

 

With a sigh, both men started to work.

 

*****

 

The next day, Youji was hard at work putting up the paint the trio had bought the night before.  He thought that it might be good to get it up before the carpet arrived to avoid worrying about the mess.  The suede-textured paint was a light caramel color and gave a warmth to the room without darkening it.  The texture gave it the look of a luxurious fabric-covered wall without the work or worry about cleaning.  Michel and Yuki had helped with the painting and had done a wonderful job.  All three of them were messy but happy, and Chloe and Ken were satisfied with the results.

 

When the carpet installers arrived, Free offered to stay and watch so that Youji and the boys could clean up and hit the showers.  As the deep chocolate-brown carpet was laid in place and cut to fit, the room began to take shape as a bedroom instead of the storage area it had once been.  Chloe, Ken and Aya watched the shop and between customers, Chloe washed up the new sheets, blankets and curtains.

 

Tomorrow they would actually be able to start moving things into place.  Ken had a football game in the morning, but they had the rest of the afternoon to shift the furniture and clothes and put up the curtains.  It was going to be a busy weekend.

 

*****

 

When Youji woke the next morning, he was sore.  Not just tired, not just achy, but out and out sore.  He had forgotten how much trouble his shoulder sometimes gave him and wondered if that was a result of some past injury he had forgotten along with everything else. 

 

“I guess the painting was too much for it,” he said aloud to himself as he finished pouring his coffee and winced at the pain the action caused.

 

“Too much for what?” Aya asked as he walked into the kitchen to make his morning tea.

 

“It’s just my shoulder.  I guess I did a little too much painting yesterday and made it mad.  I’ll just go take something.  It’ll be fine.”  Grabbing his toast and coffee, he wandered out to the table to sit down with his breakfast.  He missed the nice breakfasts that Asuka would cook for him.  On weekends she would go all out and make all sorts of wonderful things.  He closed his eyes and indulged in a short trip through his better memories of his ex-wife.

 

“It looks as though we overworked you if you can’t even stay awake to drink your coffee,”  Youji heard Chloe’s voice tease him.

 

Opening his eyes, Youji saw that Ken was already dressed for his game, and Chloe held a bag in one hand and a pair of sunglasses in the other.  “Going somewhere?” Youji asked.

 

“Why, yes, indeed.  I’m off to watch my love do battle with fearsome dragons,” Chloe said dramatically.   “Or at least that’s what the overblown idiots on the opposing team call themselves.  My Ken shall be St. George to the evil dragons.”

 

“I think you better get a move on, Chloe,” observed Youji, “it looks to me like your prince is leaving you behind.”

 

Chloe called out his farewells and hurried to the door to catch up with Ken, leaving Youji to his own thoughts once again.  Turning in the chair reminded him that he had wanted to take something for his shoulder, so he cleaned up his dishes and went to search the medicine cabinets.

 

*****

 

Two hours later, Youji was sitting in front of the television, trying desperately to take his mind off of his shoulder.  He hurt too much to sketch.  Sleeping was painful.  And reading was impossible, since he couldn’t focus.  The mindlessness of television was his last hope to block out the pain.  He was absently rubbing at it with his other hand when Aya walked through the room.

 

“Is that still bothering you?  I thought you went to take something?”

 

“I did.  It just doesn’t seem to be doing much good.”  Youji went back to staring and rubbing.  Why couldn’t there be anything good on the television?

 

Aya must have left the room, because Youji heard him return a few minutes later carrrying a bottle and towel in one hand and a stool in the other.  He walked to one of the chairs in the room, placed the stool in front of it and set the bottle on a side table near at hand.  “Come over here and I’ll see if I can do anything for it.”  He gestured to the stool while taking the chair for himself.  “Take your shirt off, too.  This stuff is oily and I don’t want to get it on your t-shirt,” Aya directed.

 

Once Youji was seated, shirtless on the stool, he turned and asked Aya, “So what is this stuff, exactly?”

 

“Arnicated oil.  Free uses it on us all the time.  It’s great for strains and bruises, but it is an oil so…”  Aya’s explanation trailed off as he poured a small amount of oil onto his hand.

 

“This stuff isn’t going to sting or smell bad, is it?”  Youji asked, wary of the liquid.

 

“No.  It isn’t a nice smell, but it isn’t particularly bad or even strong really, and it doesn’t feel like anything.  The only thing it seems to do that I can tell is that bruises always fade twice as fast on me when I use it.  Don’t ask me how it works, Free’s the expert on this kind of stuff.”  As Aya spoke, he put some oil onto Youji’s shoulder, just enough to lightly coat the skin, and began to rub it in.  He started lightly and worked the massage deeper as he went.  Including the muscles of Youji’s upper arm and the right side of his upper back, he worked the entire area in and around Youji’s injured shoulder. 

 

Youji closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of Aya’s hands.  Here was the distraction he had wanted when he was staring at the television.  He couldn’t think about anything now except how good those hands felt against his skin.  The pain was letting up from either the therapeutic massage or the oil, but which didn’t seem to matter since Youji’s brain wasn’t really processing on all cylinders right then.

 

Aya smiled as he worked.  It felt so good to have a reason to touch Youji, and Youji seemed to be happy with it as well.  When Youji’s head dipped forward, Aya saw that he was relaxed and increased the intensity of the massage.  As his head fell forward and his neck and shoulder muscles relaxed under the warmth of Aya’s hands, Youji uttered a long, low moan that went straight to Aya’s groin.  He hadn’t heard that sound in so very long, but it was the same as it had always been.  The years they had spent apart melted away and it was as though they were back in their original Kitten’s House apartments.  Without thought, Aya leaned forward to press a lingering kiss to the back of Youji’s neck.  The smell of his hair, the feel of his body, Youji was really here with him again and...not his. 

 

Aya straightened back up in his chair, shocked at his own behavior.  Youji was still sitting in the stool but his head had come up and he was trying to turn around.  Aya grabbed the towel and wiped his hands quickly before capping the bottle and standing up.  Leaving the towel for Youji to wipe off, he started to leave the room.   “Don’t put your shirt back on until you take a shower...a hot shower…” he said over his shoulder as he fled.

 

Youji sat on the stool utterly dumbfounded.  Why did Aya quit?  That had felt really good.  Even the kiss was really nice...oh, he kissed me.  The fog from the thought numbing massage now just starting to clear and restore function to his brain, Youji realized that his roommate had done a little more than just loosen a damaged muscle and that he had enjoyed all of it, including the kiss.  It had felt so natural.  That was the part that was still confusing Youji. 

 

He was beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and thought that it might be time to get some concrete answers.  His only problem now was that there were only two people who would know the answer; one wasn’t likely to tell him and the other wasn’t home.  Wandering to the bathroom, Youji figured he would take his shower and corner Ken when he got back.

 

*****

 

Ken was in a great mood.  It was a beautiful day.  His team had won its game against their irritating cross-town rivals, the Dragons.  Best of all, his lover had been there to watch as he’d played his best game of the year.  He never thought he’d get Chloe to come with him, so it had been a surprise when he’d come to Ken and offered to go watch a game. 

 

It wasn’t that Chloe didn’t like football, more that he wasn’t that fond of sitting in stadiums.  He’d much prefer to cuddle up with Ken and watch the game on the television from the sofa.  Ken had been really touched that Chloe was willing to go to the park to watch him play, even if he did do it from a park bench behind the opposing goal instead of from the stands.  Now they were heading back to the house and Ken felt high on life.

 

The house was surprisingly quiet when they arrived, the only sound being that of the shower.  As they walked past the bedrooms, they saw Aya’s door standing ajar, and the man himself inside reading.

 

“Hey, Aya, we’re back.  Who’s in the shower?”  Ken asked.

 

“Youji.  I had to put some arnicated oil on his shoulder and he’s washing it off now,”  Aya explained.

 

“Crud.  If that’s Youji, I won’t get a shower for ages.  So what happened to his shoulder?”

 

“He thinks he just overdid the painting, but it’s his shoulder that was strained from the wire.  The last few months we were together, I had to help him with it a couple of times.  I think it’ll always be a weak spot for him from now on, if it still bothers him after all this time just from painting a room.”

 

“Well, it is a lot of repetitive motion over the head, so it makes sense.  Kinda sad that he probably just thinks he’s getting old, though.  We were gonna start moving the furniture around this afternoon, but I’ll put him to work helping with some little stuff, so that he doesn’t lift anything.”

 

“We can get him to set up the lamps and put together the clothing racks,” Chloe suggested.  “That should be safe enough.”

 

“Good thought.  Hey, as long as Youji’s hogging the shower up here, you wanna go try out our new bathroom?” Ken asked.

 

Chloe’s voice purred in response, “I’d be delighted.”

 

Leaving Aya to his reading, the two gathered towels, soap, shampoo, and a change of clothing and raced off to their new room.  Chloe had his clothes off before Ken even got the water warm.

 

“Hurry up,” Chloe urged.  “I want to see you naked.  Now.”  Fitting his actions to his words, Chloe knelt down and tugged down Ken’s shorts and underwear even as Ken pulled his shirt over his head.

 

Standing back up, Chloe kissed his lover while Ken stepped out of his clothes and backed into the shower.  “Let’s give this shower a proper christening, shall we?” Chloe tempted.

 

Their kisses heated up under the steaming water and fingers flowed over the skin in the trails of the water.  Ken picked up the bottle of body wash and squirted a generous amount between them to cover both chests.  As the water hit the soap, the friction of their bodies caused handfuls of slippery suds to form between them, lubricating their motion. 

 

“I can’t wait any more,” Chloe said breathlessly.  “I’ve been watching you all morning and wanting to feel you.  Watching your legs and ass as you ran across the field.  Watching the way the sweat made your shirt cling to your chest and your hair to the back of your neck.  You are so incredibly sexy, Ken.”

 

Ken grabbed Chloe’s shoulders and turned his back to the corner of the shower before pushing him against the wall.  As he plundered Chloe’s mouth once again, his hands slowly traveled from Chloe’s shoulders down his sides and hips and finally around his ass.  Chloe raised his right leg and Ken slid his hand underneath to support it at the knee. 

 

Reaching back for the wash, Chloe squeezed a generous amount onto Ken’s right hand and leaned back against the wall.  Braced as they were in the corner, Ken leaned forward and continued to kiss Chloe even as he prepped him with the lather from the soap.  It wasn’t ideal, and would probably sting but Chloe didn’t seem to be complaining. 

 

Putting the rest of the slippery suds on his erection, Ken eased himself into Chloe and pushed deeply inside.  Forced to put one hand on the wall while his other held Chloe’s leg, Ken was unable to reach for Chloe’s erection so Chloe did it himself.  While Chloe stroked, Ken pounded into him as hard as their position would allow, and it wasn’t long before both men were groaning in pleasure. 

 

Chloe climaxed first, releasing semen over his hand and between their bodies.  Ken followed only a few thrusts later, calling out Chloe’s name which echoed loudly in the enclosed space.  Exhausted, Ken lowered Chloe’s leg and leaned heavily on his lover while they both struggled to catch their breaths.  After one final kiss, they separated and began the task of actually washing off the residue of Ken’s morning exertion as well as that of their lovemaking.

 

As he listened from the doorway, Youji realized two things:  Ken and Chloe were, indeed, already home as Michel had indicated; and he was going to have to wait a little while longer before asking Ken about his history with Aya.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Resigned to having to wait a little while longer for his answers, Youji went back to his temporary lodgings in Ken’s room and sorted his small collection of clothing to see if he needed to do laundry.  With everyone occupied by the move this afternoon, it might be a good time to catch the washer and dryer while they were free. 

 

Once again, Youji was reminded of Asuka.  He didn’t think of her as often as he used to, and the memories now were more wistful than painful.  He had, at least, reached the point where he could forgive her enough in his own mind to be glad that he had the few memories that he did.  In the time they’d been together, Asuka made things as pleasant for him as she could; Youji simply refused to believe it was all a lie. 

 

No matter what the truth really was, Youji decided it was up to him to choose how he felt about it.  He spent a good bit of time these days thinking about his feelings, and recently it always seemed to lead to the same place - Aya.  There was something important there, he was sure of it, and Youji was determined to get some kind of answer of out Ken today.

 

*****

 

“Thank you,” Ken said as he finished dressing.

 

“Anytime, sexy,”  Chloe replied with a wink.

 

“Not for...well, yes for that too, but more...I meant…” Ken sighed in frustration.  “Thank you for going and getting tested.  We wouldn’t have been able to do that just now if you hadn’t and...I liked it very much.”  Ken was still blushing a little as he spoke, but he was able to look Chloe in the eyes as he relayed his feelings.

 

Chloe walked over to Ken and planted a small kiss on his nose while he continued to fiddle with his collar.  “It’s a simple blood test, Ken.  I didn’t walk through fire.  And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to be with you and make sure that you were safe.  I love you.”

 

Ken shook his head as he stared back at his lover.

 

“I don’t love you?” Chloe asked incredulously.

 

“Yes, you do, and I love you, too.  Even after all these weeks, it still just feels a little unreal,”  Ken chuckled.  “Like that movie you like so much with the guy who dances on the ceiling.”

 

Chloe laughed.  “Fred Astaire?”  When Ken nodded, Chloe reached out and grabbed Ken’s hand and pulled him close.  Putting his other hand on Ken’s hip, he forced him to step along as he began to dance. 

 

Ken didn’t know how to dance in that style, but he did his best to follow Chloe’s lead as he listened to the soft sounds of the tune that Chloe hummed along to their movements.

 

A coughing sound from the doorway interrupted their fun.  Looking over, Chloe saw Aya in the doorway and couldn’t resist. “Aya, if you wanted to cut in, you could have just come in and tapped one of us on the shoulder.”  Chloe spun Ken around and then held out one hand in invitation to the redhead.

 

“The remaining paint fumes are obviously affecting your brain.  If you want to sleep in here tonight, we’d better get started.  Everyone is waiting for you to tell them what you want moved and where to put it, so get a move on.”  Turning on his heel, Aya stalked back toward their rooms without waiting for an answer.

 

“Well, he’s in a bad mood today,” Ken observed.

 

“Nothing wrong with him that getting laid wouldn’t fix, but I suppose there isn’t much hope for that anytime soon,”  Chloe speculated.  “If he hasn’t pounced Youji by now, there must be something holding him back.”

 

“Fear,” Ken answered simply.

 

“Aya ‘The Fearless Leader’ Fujimiya, is afraid?  What the hell of?”  Chloe asked incredulously.

 

“He’s afraid of hurting Youji.  There’s only one thing in the world that scares Aya, Chloe, and that’s the thought of not protecting the people he loves.  If he thinks for one minute that loving Youji - or even letting Youji know that he loves him - will hurt him, he’ll fall on his own sword before he goes anywhere near him.”

 

“That’s so sad,” Chloe observed.  “So, you’re telling me that he’ll never make the first move?”

 

“He might, but I seriously doubt it.  He clearly still loves Youji - never stopped loving him - but not hurting Youji is much more important to Aya than any amount of pain he’s feeling.”

 

“Well then,” Chloe decided, “it’s up to us to save them from themselves.”

 

“CHLOE!  KEN!”  Aya’s voice carried through the walls from five rooms away.

 

“Maybe tomorrow,” Chloe conceded before leaving the room with his lover in tow.

 

*****

 

Youji was put to work setting up the clothing racks and room dividers that would be used to create the ‘closet’ space in the room while the others moved the dressers in from Chloe’s and Ken’s rooms.  Once the dressers were out of the way, Free, Michel and Yuki started to work on disassembling Ken’s bed and cleaning up the rooms, while Chloe and Aya moved the bed from Chloe’s room.  

 

Ken asked Youji to help him put up the window blinds while everyone else was busy upstairs.   There were only two small windows in the storage room, and they had purchased wooden blinds, and two small rods with red and gold scarves to hide the hardware at the top.  Youji held the ladder and passed the materials and tools up to Ken as he asked for them.  With the others out of the room, Youji decided that this was the best chance he would get.

 

“Ken, were Aya and I ever lovers?” Youji asked bluntly.

 

Ken started so severely at the question that he nearly fell off the ladder.  Once he regained his balance, he turned his shocked expression down towards his friend.

 

“Sorry,” Youji apologized sheepishly.  “I didn’t mean to freak you by asking that so out of the blue.  I just want to know before everybody gets back, and so I blurted it out.”

 

Shaking off the surprise, Ken stepped down off the ladder and gestured to the floor.  “Sit down, Youji.  You’re right, we don’t have a lot of time and this discussion probably needs it.”

 

“Can’t you just answer the question?  It’s really starting to bug me.  I feel like there’s something going on and I can’t put my finger on it.  That’s the only thing that makes sense.  Do you know if we were...you know?”

 

“Yes, you were.”  Ken took a few seconds to gather his thoughts, trying to decide what to tell his friend and what would be too much.  “You were kind of a playboy when the four of us were brought together to form Weiss, our team back in Japan, and you and Aya danced around each other for a while.  When you finally started to sleep together, or at least when I think you did, you stopped going out with other people.  I don’t know if you were really serious about each other right away – early on it may have just been sex - but I do know that you ended up being really close.”

 

“But then why…?”

 

“I told you already.  We were told it was for the best.  You had been so unhappy before because of things outside of your relationship with Aya.  You didn’t remember anything, and we were told you never would.  Aya was really hurt; it was killing him.  But I think he was afraid that if he stayed and you remembered him, you would remember everything else too.  As much pain as he was in, Youji, it hurt him less to walk away than to risk seeing you deprived of a chance for a happy life.  Even after all this time, he never moved on; never found anyone else.  He loves you that much.”

 

Youji was stunned.  He had expected to hear that they had been lovers, but not this.  To love someone so much… “Why didn’t he tell me any of this when I came back?”

 

“I don’t know for sure, but probably more of the same.  You were having those panic attacks whenever you remembered something about us, or even saw us.  I think, maybe, he just didn’t want to risk hurting you with his feelings.”

 

“I haven’t had an attack since the greenhouse.  Why is he hiding this from me now?”

 

Youji’s question went unanswered because voices were drifting down the corridor and rapidly drawing closer.  Standing up and heading back to the ladder, Ken said, “Sorry, we’ll have to talk more later if you want.  Aya wouldn’t appreciate it if he found out that I opened my mouth and spilled the beans.” 

 

“Yeah, ok.  Thanks for telling me this much though.  It answers a lot of questions that have been bugging me.”

 

After that, work on the room continued for a few more hours, until thoughts of food forced the group to take a break.  Youji wasn’t as tired as the rest of the group, since no one had allowed him to lift anything all day, so he volunteered to go down the street to pick up some take-out while everyone else rested.

 

Because they had already decided finish moving everything else and shifting Yuki into Ken’s old room the next day, the only thing that still had to be done that evening was to finish cleaning Chloe’s room and setting up Ken’s old bed so that Youji would have a place to sleep. 

 

When Youji turned in for the evening, he found it difficult to fall asleep.  He was in the same bed, but now it was in a different room; a very empty room.  There was an empty dresser that had been unneeded when Ken and Chloe had consolidated their things, the bed he currently rested on, and his two suitcases. 

 

It was odd, the sounds you hear when a room is that empty.  Maybe it wouldn’t have bothered him if he had been at peace with everything else in his life, but today’s confession from Ken about his past wouldn’t leave him alone.  He heard Ken’s words over and over again in his head.  Felt the brush of Aya’s lips against his neck as his head turned on the pillow.  When Youji closed his eyes, he could still picture the look on Aya’s face as Aya told him that he was home.

 

As he stretched on the bed and stared at the ceiling, Youji decided that he wanted to talk to Aya.  He wanted to kiss those lips.  He wanted to know for certain what it was that he was feeling, and what it meant for his future.

 

*****

 

It was a quiet week at the shop, which made for a welcome change after their busy weekend.  Some things were just too quiet, though; namely Youji.  Ken was growing more and more worried by the unusual silence from his normally gregarious friend.  Each of them had tried in one way or another to engage Youji in conversation, invited him to join in a game, pointed him toward a pretty customer, or offered to take him shopping.  Nothing was working. 

 

It wasn’t so much that Youji seemed depressed, but he was quiet, contemplative.  The man who could make anyone else smile was spending hours of his day just staring at nothing.  Ken had already told Chloe about Youji’s question over the weekend, and now he decided to confide in Free as well. 

 

“And you told him that you would be willing to speak with him again if he wanted?” Free verified.

 

“Yeah, absolutely.  But he hasn’t said a word to me, and that was days ago now,” Ken answered.

 

“Then I believe that Youji has all of the answers that he wants from you.  He either needs no more information, or he wants to hear the rest from Aya himself.  I suspect that he is trying to decide what to ask, and when to ask it.  We might be better served to find a way to give them some privacy, than to confront Youji over his behavior.”

 

“That’s not a bad idea, Free.  Chloe and I are going out on Saturday to see a play.  If you took Yuki and Michel out to see some teen scream flick, there’d be no way Aya would go along, and that would give the two of them the evening alone.”

 

“Ken, I do not like ‘teen scream’ films.”

 

“Free, work with me here, man.  I said take them and tell Aya that it’s a horror film, I didn’t say you had to go see the same movie.  Just make sure that it’s one far enough away that they would need you to drive for them, and we’ll be covered.  What do you say?”

 

“I think it is an excellent idea, Ken.”

 

“Hey, you don’t have to say that like it’s such a surprise.  I can have good ideas too, you know.”  Ken crossed his arms in indignation and waited for an apology.  Free inclined his head, but said nothing more.  Apparently that satisfied Ken though, because he went back to work and was much happier the rest of the day.  Stage one of Operation Reunite Youji and Aya was underway.

 

*****

 

Saturday night finally arrived and Youji watched as Chloe wrestled Ken into a suit and the pair headed out the door.  Free, Yuki and Michel were close on their heels, heading out of town to see some film or another.  They were being a little vague with the details, but Youji overheard Free assuring Aya that he would hate it.

 

Now that they were finally alone in the house, Aya was hiding in his room.  He’d been keeping himself away from Youji for a solid week now, so there was no doubt where he was.  Youji went into the kitchen and made two mugs of tea.  He wasn’t sure he really wanted the drink, but it gave him a good excuse to visit Aya’s room.  Grabbing both handles with one hand, Youji kept one hand free to knock on the door.

 

There was a long pause after his knock.  Youji wondered if Aya was going to pretend to be asleep to avoid him, and was nearly ready to give up when the door opened.  Taking one mug with his free hand, he held it up and said, “I brought some tea...if you’re interested?”  When Aya reached out a hand to take the mug away from him, Youji stepped around him and into the room, adding, “Mind if I come in for a while?  Everyone else took off for the evening, and I’d kinda like to talk...if that’s okay.”

 

Aya looked utterly lost and for a moment Youji felt sorry for him.  Remembering what he came to do though, Youji put Aya’s mug down on the nightstand and sat very deliberately on the corner of Aya’s bed.

 

Aya followed Youji back into the room and was just picking up his mug of tea when Youji asked, “Aya...are you in love with me?”  The curses that followed were a direct result of Aya having spilled hot tea over his hand and nightstand when he jumped at the question, and Aya now busied himself searching for something to mop up the mess.  Youji put his own untouched tea down on Aya’s desk and passed over the box of tissues he spied there.  “Sorry, I keep doing that to people lately.”  When the mess had been cleaned up, Youji urged Aya to sit on the bed and handed over his own, still full, mug of tea.  “Drink this one, I didn’t really want it anyway.”

 

Aya took a hesitant sip and looked at Youji.  “Why...why would you ask me that?”  Aya’s voice was shaky but clear in the silence of the empty house.

 

“Please, Aya.  Please stop hiding things from me.  I’m not so fragile as I was when I first came to England, and right now I need to know the truth about myself, about you, and about us.  What were we to one another, and what do you feel for me now?”

 

“You were half of my heart and soul,” Aya answered with soul baring honesty.  He paused to take another sip of tea and then gestured for Youji to sit next to him.  “For years, I lived half a life; staying in this world only to take revenge for my injured sister and my dead parents.  You came into my life and taught me first how to feel passion, and then affection, and then love.  You were a breath of life in my heart of death.  I existed for my sister, but I lived for you.  There came I time when we thought we were free of Kritiker.  I remember standing on a hill then and listening to the three of you make plans for our lives together.  We would drive around the country in the mobile flower shop and make enough to just keep moving.  We had each other and our lives, and that’s all we wanted.  Then Omi became Persia and asked us to do one more job.  It was only supposed to be, one – more – job.   If it hadn’t been so serious, we would never have done it - and in truth I had to convince you and Ken to go along with it.  I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for doing that.  They separated us.  Omi said that the new recruits that I was training while I handled the Japanese end of the assignment would be the ones to take over for us, so that we could retire and live in peace.  He lied.  You and Ken went through hell.  I don’t know half of what went on over in Europe, but you were both different when you came back; both desperate, both reckless.  We lost both of the recruits, and you were hurt.  Everything went to hell, and I tried to stay strong, needed to…” 

 

Aya started to break down.  He choked more than cried, but Youji reached out to put one hand on Aya’s back and the other to the mug in his hand, encouraging him to take a drink.  Aya tilted the mug at his lips and tried to swallow the warm liquid, tried to draw some strength from it.  Youji had a right to ask him about their past, but sharing the events and his feelings was so very hard to do.

 

“When you woke up without your memory, Kritiker decided to isolate you from us.  They said that they were protecting you.  Omi told me that without your memory, you could have what we had all been promised; a life outside of Weiss.  It felt wrong.  On some level I think I knew it was a lie even then, but Omi said that it was for your own good and he eventually persuaded me to leave.  I couldn’t stay in Japan.  I kept trying to see you, and Omi was losing all patience with me.  Even once I got to New York, I secretly contacted a private investigator.  I only wanted to get some pictures of you.  I just wanted to confirm that you were really as happy in your new life as I was being told.  That’s all I ever wanted.” 

Aya paused a moment and seemed to come to some sort of decision before he continued.  “I was on my way to see the man I had hired when...I was stabbed.  I was stabbed by a child.  I’ve never told anyone before and maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this now, but he spoke to me.  As I bent over the knife in my stomach, the boy said to me, ‘Let it go, or he dies.’” 

Aya’s eyes were bright with emotion, pain and panic welling up from his memories and spilling over into the present.  “I only wanted to see...I only wanted to make sure that you were...and he would have killed you then.  I couldn’t believe that I had put you in danger.  I kept walking...I don’t really know how far...I fell against a mailbox and just sat there, bleeding.  That’s when Yuki came across me.  He was being chased and I protected him.  When his people came to get him away, they took me along with them and patched me up.”

 

Youji kept his hand on Aya’s back as he spoke.  He didn’t wish to interrupt the usually quiet man, but he wanted Aya to know that he was there, supporting him, until he was ready to continue.

 

“I came here to England with Chloe and Mihirogi and healed; physically and mentally.  KR has been very kind and very generous to take me in the way he did.  When I saw him again, Ken told me that you were alright the last time he had seen you - when he had collected my sword - and I had to believe that you would be safe if I just stayed far, far away.  It’s true.  I never stopped loving you.  I never stopped thinking about you.  I just tried to learn to live without you.”

 

This time when Aya finished speaking, Youji took the cup from his cold hands and set it on the floor by their feet.  Reaching out, Youji took Aya’s face between his hands and forced the other man to look into his eyes.  Staring intently, he looked long enough to see many things written in those once cold purple eyes: pain, guilt, suffering, and love.  Youji might never be able to explain to anyone later why he did it, but he followed his heart that night.  Still holding Aya’s head, Youji leaned forward and kissed him. 

 

Aya gasped as their lips first made contact and tried to pull away, but Youji held his head steady until Aya surrendered and began to kiss him back.  Once they had both fallen under the kiss’s spell, each man put his arms around the other and held tightly.  One was the link to the other’s existence, and the two clung to one another like drowning men holding life preservers.

 

After the incredible stillness of the moment before Youji’s lips touched Aya’s, it was shocking how quickly the kiss turned both frantic and breathless.  Fingers roaming under shirts and tugging at buttons.  Lips and teeth over ears, and throats and faces.  They fell back onto the bed and Aya rolled over Youji, devouring him.  He was a starving man with his first meal in years, and everything in him screamed for more, more, more.  He reached for Youji’s pants and then froze.  Youji had flinched when Aya reached for him and Aya had seen it.

 

The color drained from Aya’s face and he sat up quickly.  “What in the hell am I doing?”

 

The body over his too suddenly gone, Youji propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Aya through lust-filled eyes.  “I was kind of hoping that you could explain that to me, since I’m a little rusty,” he joked.

 

“That’s exactly my point,” Aya fired back, grimacing.  “You don’t have any idea what this means.  You don’t even remember ever being with a man, do you?”  Youji shook his head to indicate that he didn’t, before Aya continued.  “This isn’t you, not anymore.  You feel sorry for me, and you miss your wife, but that’s no reason for the two of us to hop into bed together.”

 

“Whoa, Aya, slow down.  This is not rebound.  I’m not using you as some kind of substitute for Asuka.  Honestly, I’m not.  I can’t deny that it hurt me to see you in pain, and that I want to comfort you, but I don’t think that’s me just feeling sorry for you.  I have feelings for you, Aya, even if I can’t put a name to them right now.  If you want to wait to do more until I can tell you that I love you or something, I can understand that, but I’m telling you that…”

 

“No.  You don’t understand.  You can’t understand.”  Aya reached up and grabbed his hair with both hands, pulling almost violently.

 

“Help me understand, Aya.  What is wrong?”  Youji was becoming frantic, watching Aya work himself up over this.

 

“Even if what you say is true, that you aren’t doing this out of pity or loneliness, I still can’t take advantage of you like this.  I want you.  I can’t deny it any longer.  You just aren’t ready for this, no matter what you think.  If things go any further, I won’t be able to stop; and I can’t do that to you.  I don’t trust myself to do what’s right for you anymore.  You remember nothing of our physical relationship and have only vague feelings about me emotionally.  That half connection just isn’t us.  We consumed one another, we owned one another.  It’s just too much right now and if I touch you again, I won’t stop until I make you mine and you make me yours.  You can’t sit there and tell me that you are ready for that, because you don’t even know what it means.”

 

“Aya…”  What could Youji say?  On some level, he knew that Aya had a point.  He had no idea what to do with a man.  How could he know what to do and what not to do?  What if he hurt Aya?  It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t what he wanted, but he conceded.  “Okay.  You’re right about my not understanding what it means.  I don’t know how to love you, yet.”  Youji’s voice raised in frustration.   “But does that mean that you’ll never give me the chance to be with you ever again?  Are we doomed to be apart because of my stupid memory?   I had to have had a first time with somebody, somewhere.  Maybe it was even with you.”  The look on Aya’s face told him that statement was most definitely false.  “Or not,” Youji said sheepishly at Aya’s expression.  “Look, the point is, I have the right to choose and if I want to have my ‘first’ time with you now, what’s so wrong with that?”

 

“Youji.”  Aya’s voice and countenance softened with Youji’s earnest appeal and he looked into Youji’s sincere green eyes.  “I love you too much to ever say never, and if you push things now, I’ll probably give in.  I’m not strong enough to turn you away from my bed.  I never was.  All I’m saying is that doing this tonight would be a mistake.  You aren’t ready for this, and if I hurt you, I would never forgive myself.  Can you understand?”

 

Youji nodded.  He hated himself as he did it, but he nodded all the same.  He heard Aya walk over to his desk and pick up his car keys. 

 

“I think I need to get out of here for a while, get some fresh air.”

 

Youji reached over and grabbed Aya’s arm.  “No.  If you need some space, I’ll leave, but I don’t think you ought to be out on the road right now.  Neither one of us is functioning well at the moment.  I’ll go to my room and leave you alone, I promise.  Just stay here, okay?”

 

Aya agreed and Youji released his arm.  He collected both mugs and walked to the door. Without turning to face Aya, Youji declared in a voice made bold with conviction, “I’ve never wanted to remember my life more than I do right at this moment; and not just as a way to sleep with you.  The way you looked at me a few minutes ago.  That look you had in your eyes.  Asuka never once looked at me like that.  You think that this is just some sort of rebound, Aya, but I’m not an idiot.  I know love when I see it, and what I saw in your eyes was beautiful.  To think that there is someone in this wide world that loves me that completely and to know that I must have felt the same way...I want that back.  More than I’ve ever wanted anything, Aya, I want that back, and no one, not even you, is going to stop me.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

Free listened to the sounds of the evening around him.  Yuki and Michel, despite now having separate rooms, were in Yuki’s room together and were playing a computer game.  Ken and Chloe were making their way through the house to their room, after their evening out at the theatre.  Youji was pacing in his room.  And from Aya’s room, there was only silence. 

 

Michel was precious to Free and never far from his mind.  Such a special child; he had a way of lighting up a room and carrying his innocence with him through the death that touched their lives.  Yuki was newer to their company, but had become important to Michel and so to Free as well.  He was proud of both boys.  If he had ever been blessed with children of his own, he would have been proud to be called their father.  He also would have done anything in his power to have saved them from the life they now led. 

 

Still, he did what he could for the boys, and for all his teammates.  They had saved him; literally.  He owed them his life and his future, and Free took his debts seriously.  Thankfully, tonight all of his family was safe and there was only one person that currently needed and wanted his help, so he rose from his seat and made his way to his newest friend Youji’s room.

 

Youji’s door opened quickly after Free knocked.  “May I come in?” Free asked.

 

“Maybe we should talk somewhere else,” Youji suggested and turned to look at Aya’s wall.

 

“The kitchen perhaps?” Free offered.

 

“Yeah, that’s good.”

 

Free idly set a tarot reading down while Youji tinkered in the kitchen, making himself a cup of coffee.  When Youji had asked Free if he wanted anything, Free looked oddly at his cards and responded, “Apparently, I should not.”

 

Youji was as accustomed to Free’s odd responses as he was to everyone else’s behavior at this point, so he went back to mixing his drink and sat down when it was ready.  Free had gathered up his previous reading and was shuffling the cards in preparation for his next layout when Youji finally spoke.

 

“So what can you tell me about two guys having sex together?”

 

A shower of cards rained down over Youji as they settled out of the air.  Free’s hand was still clenched at the table and he looked down at it in amazement at his loss of control.  Youji stood and began to collect the loose cards from the floor where they had landed.  When he thought that he had them all, he began to retake his seat and saw that he had knelt on one, so he picked it up to pass to his friend.

 

“The Fool,” Free observed as he took the card.  “Thank you, Youji, it would not do to lose this card in this house.  I am sorry for having lost control of the cards that way.  Thank you for helping me to collect them.”

 

“No problem,” Youji said as he sat back down.  “It was probably my fault anyway.  I guess now I know why you didn’t want a drink.  I sorta did that to Aya earlier.”  After a pause, he asked, “Would you like a cup of tea now?  It’s probably safe at this point, and the water’s still warm.”

 

Free decided to risk the drink to calm his nerves and nodded.  Youji located the type of tea Free indicated and made a cup quickly. 

 

“So you did speak to Aya this evening?” Free inquired.

 

“Yeah,” Youji answered as he returned to the table and sat a mug in front of Free.  “We talked about a lot of things, and most of it was good, but…”

 

Free waited a few seconds to make certain Youji was done speaking before taking a hesitant sip of his tea.  Once he had swallowed and returned the cup to the table, he observed, “He admitted his feelings for you, but put some other impediment in the way of renewing your relationship.”

 

“It’s not that he’s wrong about what he said, Free.  He’s not making stuff up to keep us apart.  I’m just feeling frustrated at having to play catch up with the world all the time.  There’s all this stuff that I’m supposed to know and I have to relearn everything.”

 

“Like how to be intimate with the person you love,” Free said, finishing Youji’s thought now that he understood the previous query.

 

“Exactly.  There were some other things too, but I think a lot of that was more Aya being afraid of something.  First he said I was just pitying him, then he wondered if I was just lonely and missing Asuka.  I do miss Asuka sometimes, Free, but not like that.  She was good to me and I’m worried about her still being under Takatori’s thumb.  Even if she hadn’t wanted to stay married to me, I still wish she had stayed here with us and started over like I’m doing.  What if he decides some day that he doesn’t like how much she knows about me?  What happens to her then?”

 

“She strikes me as a survivor, Youji, and I am certain that she will be fine.  You are entitled to feel any way you like about her.  She was an important part of your life for a long time.  Aya understands that all too well.”

 

“He’s jealous?”

 

“In a way.  He isn’t upset that you were happy and continued your life without him.  He’s sad that he was unable to be your happiness and she had to be that for you.  He doesn’t often speak about personal matters, but we are all well aware of what you mean to him.”

 

“So why is he still keeping me at arm’s length?  Is it so impossible for him to love the Youji that I am now?  I feel like I’m competing with a dead man for his attention, but the dead man is me.”

 

“Interesting observation.  Not having known you before, I have no basis for comparison, but from what Ken has said, the basic core of your personality is still the same.  There have been a few changes: you take things a little more seriously, act more responsibly, are less cynical.  But you are still a warm, affectionate, giving person.  I think that any hesitation from Aya has less to do with him knowing you and more with you not knowing him.”

 

“So I need to learn more about him.  Kinda hard to do when the guy won’t talk to me.  Ken thinks that Aya and I started off as just a physical thing.  I wonder if this is why, if he was like this the first time around, too.”

 

“Quite possibly.  How do you feel about him, Youji?  Do you know?”

 

“You mean, am I in love with him?  I don’t know.  I was honest with him about that.  He’s damned sexy, not that I know what to do about that.  He’s intelligent, sensitive, graceful, and kind.  I feel pulled to him whenever he’s around.  When he touches me...I lose all sense of reality.  When I screwed up my arm last week, he was rubbing this oil into it, and it felt so good I didn’t want him to stop.  I didn’t even realize that he had kissed my neck until he was halfway out of the room.  Maybe it isn’t fair of me to want to sleep with him so that I can figure this out.  Maybe he’s afraid that I’ll decide I don’t want him afterward, and he doesn’t want to be hurt.  I don’t want to hurt him, Free, I really don’t.  I saw that look in his eyes, though, and if there’s any chance of getting that relationship back, I want it.  I don’t care what I have to do, but I want to find that love with him again.”

 

“It sounds to me as though some portion of your mind already remembers that you love him.  My advice to you would be to spend time with him, make him as comfortable with you as you can.  When he sees that you are not going anywhere, he will open up to you.  In the meantime,” Free paused to clear his throat.  “I think you should seek out Chloe to discuss the...other matter.  He will be able to provide you with more...detailed and descriptive answers than any of the rest of us, I think.  But for now,” he said as he stood up, “I think we should both try to get a full night of rest.” 

 

Youji followed Free to the bedrooms and stopped outside his door.  “Free, thank you.  I don’t mean just for tonight, either.  I mean for everything.  You’ve been a great friend to me since I got here, and I don’t think I’d have gotten through those first two weeks without you there.”

 

“You are welcome, my friend, although you do not need to thank me.  There are none of us here who washed up on these shores without a tale to tell, and I am no exception.  Let us just say that I am passing on a favor, as you will do when one of us, or someone we have yet to meet, needs it next.  Goodnight.”

 

*****

 

Ken reached forward to open the door to their bedroom and was stopped by the feeling of Chloe’s hand grabbing his arm.

 

“What is it?” Ken asked.  In the darkness of the unlit hallway, Ken could could feel Chloe’s breath against his face, but could only just make out Chloe’s form moving closer to his own by the faint rays of the red emergency exit sign for the store.

 

Chloe kissed Ken softly as they stood there in the heavy shadows.  A tender kiss, it didn’t last long until Chloe pulled back and spoke, “Live with me, and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove.”

 

“More Shakespeare?” Ken asked.

 

“I’m afraid so,” Chloe answered.  “But I rather like the sentiment at the moment.  Would it be impertinent of me to ask you for an answer?”

 

“I’m already living with you, and you know that I love you.  Knowing you, I’m thinking you have pleasure in mind.”

 

“Are you tired?”

 

“I suppose it depends on how much energy I have to have.”

 

Ken heard Chloe open the door next to him, and as he guided Ken into the room, he answered, “Not too much, I’ll do most of the work this time.”

 

They walked into the room until Ken felt the bed against the back of his legs, but Chloe kept him upright rather than allowing him to sit down.  A tugging at his throat told him that Chloe was taking off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.  “It’s a shame; I rather liked you in that suit, but we don’t want to ruin anything, now do we?”  When he had the shirt open, Chloe took the tie, jacket and shirt and walked them over to the wooden valet.  When he didn’t return right away, Ken assumed he was taking his own jacket off as well. 

 

Chloe returned to his side, and touched the lamp by the bed once to turn it on to its dimmest setting.  In the low light, Ken could see Chloe’s naked form kneel down in front of him and reach up to unbuckle his trousers.  As he pulled down the slacks and underwear, Chloe leaned forward and licked the length of Ken’s rapidly hardening arousal.  Chloe had done little to this point but undress him, but Ken was panting and aroused already.

 

Chloe pulled away and tugged at the legs of Ken’s pants as he stepped out of them and tossed them away onto a chair.  Surging forward, Chloe immediately swallowed Ken’s erection and grabbed his ass with both hands.  Lips and tongue worked feverishly to drive Ken to distraction and Chloe’s hands pulled his hips forward.  As Ken’s erection grew, Chloe was forced to release his hold and pull back a little further but still maintained as thorough a stroke with his mouth as he could manage.

 

When Ken’s hands moved to reach for Chloe’s hair, he found his wrists pinned in Chloe’s strong grasp.  Releasing Ken’s erection, Chloe smiled up at him and said, “Tonight I want to play a little, if it’s alright?”

 

With a small moan, Ken nodded and replied, “Fuck, yeah.”

 

“Good,” Chloe purred.  “Turn around and bend over the bed.”

 

Ken obeyed his lover’s wishes and spread his legs when he felt Chloe tap the inside of his thighs.  Strong fingers grabbed at his ass and pulled his cheeks apart moments before he felt a tongue lapping at his opening.  Uttering a pained sound somewhere between a growl and a moan from the extreme pleasure, Ken’s arms collapsed on the bed and he felt his knees go weak.  The wicked tongue continued to lap and tease him, eventually stabbing inside of him and driving the sensation up even more.

 

Ken was reduced to begging as violent quivers raced through his body.  “Chloe.  Oh, I need to feel you inside me, please.”

 

Chloe stood and instructed Ken to kneel on the floor while he detoured to the bathroom.  Chloe emerged with a new tube of lube and a hand towel.  Kneeling behind Ken and between his legs, he tugged violently on his lover’s hair to bring Ken upright on his knees, back to Chloe’s chest.  Forcibly pulling Ken’s head to once side, Chloe exposed the side of Ken’s neck and sucked hard at the pulse point.  Ken’s enthusiastic moaning let Chloe know that the game was accepted and could continue. 

 

Chloe hadn’t been especially rough with Ken up to this point, more concerned with breaking Ken in slowly and bonding their relationship.  But now that he knew Ken was physically willing and able to take some sexual aggression, Chloe was ready to let go a little.  Chloe reached forward to manipulate Ken’s erection, while he continued to suck at his neck.  The bruise at Ken’s neck was already beginning to darken when Chloe pulled away and pushed Ken down onto his hands. 

 

Slicking himself quickly, Chloe put two fingers inside Ken and gave his lover a minimal amount of preparation.  After he wiped his hands on the towel, Chloe threw it down underneath Ken and positioned himself, the tip of his cock teasing at Ken’s lube slick anus.  With a tight grip on Ken’s hips, Chloe plunged inside in one rapid stroke.  Ken cried out in both pain and pleasure at the sudden invasion and lowered his head to the soft carpeted floor. 

 

Chloe looked down, surveying his own personal, well chiseled erotic angel panting underneath him as he held himself still and deep.  With the sweat beading on the back of Ken’s neck, and Ken’s head down in the carpet that nearly matched the color of his hair, Chloe felt proud and possessive and powerful.  This beautiful man was his and his alone and Chloe would ride him hard and make him scream in pleasure tonight. 

 

Chloe began to move slowly to allow Ken to adjust but was pounding deep and hard with a merciless rhythm before too long.  Reaching around to take possession Ken’s erection once again, Chloe stimulated his lover even as he pulled Ken’s hips harder back onto his own.  Over and over, Chloe impaled Ken’s kneeling form and compelled moan after moan out of his mouth. 

 

Ken’s entire body lurched forward with the power of Chloe’s thrusts and he struggled to maintain his position on the floor.  The burn of the stretch had given way to a burning at his knees and in his legs from holding himself in place, but both were negligible compared to the pleasure he felt as Chloe struck his prostate again and again with such force.  As he felt his climax approaching, Ken’s hands clawed uselessly in the carpet, desperate to find something to hold onto.

 

Chloe could see the tell-tale signs of impending climax in Ken’s body language and knew that his lover was close.  Leaning forward over Ken’s back, Chloe shifted his weight, moved his left hand from Ken’s hip to the hair at the back of his head, and pulling Ken’s head back, whispered, “You may come, but only if you scream for me.” 

 

Ken tried to nod his understanding but was unable to because of the hand gripping his hair.  Chloe felt the attempted movement and pulled the hair tighter.  “Say it,” he demanded.

 

Ken complied and responded “Yes, Chloe, I promise,” only seconds before the orgasm tore through his body.  Chloe felt Ken’s victorious scream as much as he heard it and the thrill pushed him into his own climax.

 

Both men collapsed to the carpet, legs and arms exhausted from the aggressively intense sex.  Chloe spotted the muscles twitching in Ken’s legs and moved quickly to head off any potential cramp.  Sitting up, he gently rubbed Ken’s thighs until after the spasms passed before moving to stand up.  The towel had protected the carpet for the time, but they couldn’t afford to stay where they were for much longer. 

 

Snagging the hand towel to quickly wipe away the worst of the mess first, Chloe rose to his feet, picked Ken up and carried him to the bed.  Pulling back the Persian printed comforter, Chloe gently tucked his lover into the soft golden sheets before returning to the bathroom to clean himself and get a washcloth for Ken.  Tenderly, Chloe washed away the evidence of their passion from Ken’s stomach and between his legs, but never made eye contact with him.  When Chloe climbed off the bed to take the cloth back into the bathroom, Ken stopped him.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Are you really okay with this?” Chloe asked softly. 

 

Ken put his hand on Chloe’s neck and pulled his adventurous partner down for a kiss.  “Of course, I’m okay with this.  Why wouldn’t I be?  I get aggressive with you all the time.”

 

“I know, but what about the rest of it?  What about the games?”

 

“Chloe, look at me.”  Tilting Chloe’s head forcibly to make him listen, Ken continued, “Everything about sex is a game when you get right down to it.  It’s a gift we give each other to feel good and to show our love and trust.  Any game you want to play is fine.  I trust you and I want you to feel good.  You wouldn’t do anything to really hurt me.  If it’s something that gives you pleasure, I’m happy to do it for you, just as you do things for me.”  After another kiss, Ken pulled back and continued, “Of course, if you ever tell anyone else about our games, you realize that I will kill you, right?”

 

Chloe laughed but didn’t answer Ken.

 

“Chloe?”

 

Crawling over Ken’s form on the bed, Chloe kissed Ken’s collarbone and down the front of his chest.

 

“Chloe?  Are you listening to me?”

 

Chloe smirked as his tongue circled Ken’s nipples and he didn’t give any other answer.

 

*****

 

Chloe and Ken had just finished dressing after their shower the next morning when they heard someone knocking on the door.

 

“Come on in,” Ken called out.

 

Youji walked into the room and greeted his friends.  “Hey guys, I heard your shower kick off a few minutes ago.  Everybody decent?”

 

“No, but we are dressed,” Chloe answered with a chuckle.  “How was your evening?”

 

“That’s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about.  I need a favor.”

 

“Well,” Chloe said as he looked around the room, “so do I.  At some point last night, I managed to lose my watch.  Help me find it and I’m all yours.”

 

“Alright.”  Youji stood back and scanned the room until he saw a glint of light coming from under the nightstand.  “Is that it?” Youji asked as he pointed it out to Chloe.

 

“Bless you.”  Chloe got down on his hands and knees to reach under the bed side table and asked, “So what was it that you needed?”

 

“I need you to teach me how to have anal sex."

 

Thunk.  The string of profanities coming from Chloe’s mouth was long, loud and impressive.

 

“I’ve clearly been a bad influence on your vocabulary,” Ken observed as he listened to the ranting and checked his lover’s head.  “It’s not bleeding or anything, but I bet you’re seeing stars.”

 

“No, but I think I’m hearing things.  Youji, would you mind repeating that?”

 

“I need a crash course in how to have sex with a man.  Aya pulled away from me last night in part because I have the memory of a virgin when it comes to being with a guy.  I need to know what I’m doing and what he’s going to do, so that neither of us freaks out the next time.”

 

“But your talk went well enough that you think there’s going to be a next time?” Ken asked.

 

“Hell, yes.  And this time I intend to be prepared for everything.”  Youji spoke with such determination that Chloe and Ken just stared at him.

 

“So,” Youji asked, “are you gonna teach me what to do?”

 

“Oh hold on, I cannot be in on this conversation.”  Ken stood up and walked over to Youji and clapped him on the back.  “I love you like a brother, man, and I really want the two of you to be happy, but there is no way that I can stick around to hear this discussion.  I’m gonna go see if Yuki or Michel wants to hit the arcade.  I’ll be back in an hour.”

 

“Oh, but snookums, I thought maybe I could use you as my visual aid.  Don’t you want to make certain that he fully understands what to do and how to do it properly?” Chloe teased.

 

“Ewwww!  Chloe, that’s creepy, I can’t believe you said that!  I am so outta here.  Both of you behave yourselves and never, ever tell me what happens next.” 

 

Ken fled the room before Chloe could tease him again, so Chloe turned his gaze to his student.  “Sit down, Youji, this could take a while.”

 

For a solid hour, Chloe talked about everything from hand jobs to penetration.  He explained the use of lube and showed Youji what he and Ken used.  He addressed how to stretch your partner to avoid tearing of rectal tissue and how the prostate could be found and stimulated to increase your partner’s pleasure.  Anything, like oral sex, that Youji had already done with his wife, Chloe glossed over thinking he could probably just adapt his own knowledge for use with Aya. 

 

At each point, Chloe stopped and asked Youji if he had any questions.  Dildos, vibrators, butt plugs, and cock rings and how to use them came next.  Chloe briefly mentioned things like fisting, bondage games, pain stimulation and rimming but decided it might be best to let Youji have some good reading material when his student started looking a little green.  Scanning over the bookshelves, Chloe selected a few books of light erotica and a good reference book he’d bought years earlier.  “Take these and read up.  You can keep the manual but I would like the fiction back at some point.  My advice to you, buy some lube and practice stretching yourself.  It’ll give you a good idea what it feels like and you’ll be more confident about doing it to a partner.  It’s rather hard to reach your own prostate but don’t let that stop you from trying, you’ll at least have fun along the way.  Now go to your room and do your homework, Junior, and if you have any more questions, you know where to find me,” Chloe teased.

 

“Yes, Dad,” Youji replied with a wink.  “Is it ok if I make a run to the drugstore first, though, before I get sent to my room?”

 

“By all means.  Seriously though, Youji.  Don’t rush this.  You need to be comfortable with it and yourself or Aya is going to pick up on it.  I’m guessing something like that happened between the two of you last night.  Am I right?”

 

“I’m not sure, but I think maybe I flinched when he reached for me.  I didn’t really think much about it at the time.   I wasn’t jumpy because I didn’t like it; it was just something I wasn’t expecting.  I really want this with him, Chloe, but I don’t know how I’m going to convince him to give me another chance.”

 

“You worry about that,” Chloe gestured to the books, “and getting Aya to just keep talking to you, being comfortable with you, and let the rest of us worry about getting Mr. Fujimiya to see the light of day.  You have some very resourceful friends, and we can be very creative when the need arises.”

 

Youji thanked Chloe, and left the bedroom feeling better than he had in weeks.  He had found something good here and now with these people.  He had discovered at least one good thing in the ruins of his past.  And he felt something deep in his heart that said he wanted to reclaim that and build a future with Aya.  After all these weeks of just getting through the day, of healing and staying above water, Youji Kudou had found something he wanted badly enough to fight for.

 


	21. Chapter 21

Over the course of the next month, Free, Chloe, and Ken all kept a close eye on the interactions of their two teammates.  Youji worked hard at engaging Aya in conversation about a variety of things, from the ins and outs of the flower shop to his favorite books.  After a week, Youji started trying to coax Aya out of the store, usually just for short visits to a local café.  When Aya’s body language started to loosen up and he began to smile more often, the three men took it as a positive sign that Youji was making progress with their teammate. 

 

By the end of the month, Aya and Youji were regularly taking walks together in the park, and had even managed to go out to dinner once.  Youji was braving some physical contact.  It was nothing extreme; small touches here and there, but it was progress.  Aya was returning some of the touches and glances, they noticed, but it was almost as though he was testing Youji’s reactions.  Youji’s patience was admirable, but a rising tension was becoming apparent.

 

Then, during the course of this courtship, the news came that the group had a mission.  This was to be their first serious mission since Youji had moved in with them, and since it required the entire team, their new roommate had been left home alone.  The assignment had been a tricky one with several skilled and dangerous targets and, while no one was seriously injured, there were plenty of cuts and bruises to go around.  All in all, the Side B team looked more than a bit ragged by the time they arrived home and discovered that Youji had waited up for them. 

 

Walking into a house filled with light despite the late hour, most of the men were pleasantly surprised to find that Youji had set up a small cold supper to be ready for them whenever they returned, and the kettle was already filled and waiting on the stove.  Aya, on the other hand, was livid.  When Youji disappeared from the kitchen only to return minutes later with a damp cloth and first aid kit and tried to check a scratch on Aya’s face, Aya exploded and high-handedly sent Youji off to bed.

 

After a month of progress, Aya now seemed to have brought the steadily developing relationship to a screeching halt.  Each man was observed watching the other with lustful glances, but Aya was no longer allowing any progression of intimacy to occur, and the two men were barely talking to each other.  Youji was being shut out and the others decided it was time for a plan. 

 

Chloe recalled his conversation with Aya from months earlier when they had talked about Youji’s dancing at clubs.  “There is no way he’ll be able to keep his hands to himself if he sees him dancing in a club.  If he tried at that point, I think he’d have a stroke.”

 

“Yeah,” Ken agreed.  “They were both always hotter than hell when they went clubbing, and Youji can dance like nobody’s business, or at least he could.  I wonder if he still knows how?  Even if he does though, how the heck are we supposed to get Aya into a club?”

 

Free spoke up, “If you gentlemen can get Youji poured into some appropriately scandalous outfit and get him to the club, I believe that I might be able to find a way to get Aya there.  Mihirogi owes me a favor, and I think she will be more than happy to create a ‘mission’ for Aya.”

 

“Brilliant,” Ken exclaimed.  Turning back to Chloe, he continued, “You’ll have to get him out this week and take him shopping for something suitably slutty.”

 

“I think I can handle that, but you’ve raised an interesting point about Youji’s dancing abilities.  I think I should take him to a club for a trial run and make certain that his skills haven’t deteriorated.”  Chloe tried to make the suggestion with a straight face, but he was clearly excited at the prospect.

 

Ken, having gained a certain measure of insight into the way his lover thought over the course of their relationship so far, looked wholly unconvinced.  “You’re just looking for an excuse to go to the club.  Forget it.  If Aya catches wind of the two of you hitting a club, then the mission story will never fly.  You’ll just have to go an hour earlier than Aya and get Youji warmed up,” Ken insisted.

 

“Oh fine, you party pooper,” Chloe pouted.  “How will we get Youji out of the house that night?”

 

“Hmm.  More of the same thing.  Youji really hasn’t bought a lot of stuff for himself.  If you guys start doing some shopping over the next couple of days - innocent things like clothes and CD’s - it’ll be a regular routine and Aya won’t think anything of your being out.”

 

“An excellent idea, Ken.  That will leave you here to act as backup for Aya when Mihirogi calls,”  Free said.

 

“What about you?  Won’t he ask you to go along?”  Ken wondered.

 

“Yuki and Michel will be unable to go because of their ages, and I will be engaged in a game with them at the appointed hour.  It will be suggested to Aya that you would, ‘stand out’ less at the bar in any case.  Be ready to go, but do not look as though you were expecting the phone call, and we will be fine.”  Free seemed so certain that the others readily agreed and started to plan dates for both the shopping and the trip to the club.

 

When the plan was set, Ken smiled wickedly and said, “Aya will never know what hit him.” 

 

*****

 

For the next two weeks, Chloe took Youji all over London shopping for clothes, books, music, and even a new coat.  Youji seemed oddly reluctant to buy furniture or even new curtains, but the clothes were easier to talk him into.  He had missed having his own music to listen to, so a small stereo and a growing collection of CD’s found their way into Youji’s hands as well.  Youji was receiving a small income from the Kitten’s House.  It wasn’t much, nothing approaching what the others received for their Side B work, but to this point he hadn’t had much to spend it on except the one occasion when he had coaxed Aya out to dinner. 

 

After four shopping trips, the duo had managed to find and purchase Youji’s clubbing clothes and a closet full of new winter clothing.  It had been summer when Youji had arrived, and while Asuka had managed to pack some of his long sleeved clothing, there had been no room for sweaters, and certainly not a coat.  The nearly floor-length camel-colored wool had suited Youji’s frame and coloring perfectly and Chloe was quite proud of himself for talking Youji into the cost. 

 

Chloe had heard that there was money for Youji from Takatori that had been transferred into a local account, but for some reason Youji seemed reluctant to use it and tried to limit his shopping budget to his meager earnings from the Kitten’s House.  There was no way the well tailored coat was coming out of his local finances though, and Chloe had been close to throwing in the towel and putting the coat back when Youji had finally pulled the other card from his wallet and asked the clerk to ring him up. 

 

The next excursion would be to the club, but Chloe intended to use the lack of furniture as his excuse for their trip.  While he kept his thoughts mostly to himself, Aya seemed glad that Youji was doing some shopping, as though it was a sign that he was putting down roots.  Youji, however, seemed oddly quiet about the situation, almost as though he was depressed about the whole process, and Chloe was beginning to worry more than a little about his new friend’s state of mind.

 

*****

 

The day prearranged for their ‘mission’ finally came and Youji and Chloe both dressed in Chloe’s room so that they could sneak out the back door without Aya seeing them.  They had to leave early to maintain the appearance that they were actually going shopping, so the pair would have two hours to kill before the club doors would even open.  Chloe suggested having dinner at a place near the club that wouldn’t be scandalized by their attire and Youji agreed half-heartedly.  Chloe watched as Youji ordered a small meal and picked it apart.

 

“I know it’s fascinating to look at, but you are actually allowed to eat it too.”  Chloe remarked.

 

Youji looked up from his meal with a blank expression.  “Sorry, what?”

 

“Never mind.”  Chloe put down his utensils, dabbed at his lips with his napkin, and sighed in frustration.  “Youji, what is wrong with you?  Have you changed your mind?”

 

“No, but Aya…”

 

“Is obsessed with protecting you even if it makes both of you miserable.  Do you know what he does, what we all do, when we go out on missions?” Chloe asked, suddenly curious what Youji had been told or had guessed since he arrived.

 

“Yeah, I’ve got a pretty clear idea, and I know that I used to do it, too even if I can’t remember exactly what or how.  What does Aya think he’s protecting me from?”

 

“I think there are a couple things going on here, Youji.  First and foremost, Aya wants to keep you far away from what it is that we do.  You are out of the ‘business’ and he wants to keep it that way.  You did what you did because you were forced to and you wanted to protect your friends, but apparently it ate you alive.  He doesn’t want to see you put in danger, or be that unhappy ever again.”

 

“Fine.  I have no driving desire to go out and…do that,” Youji opted to say instead of ‘kill people’, cognizant of nearby diners who might overhear them, “but I do want to help.  I can’t remember how to do the sort of thing that you guys do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be involved.  KR sort of hinted just before I moved down here with the rest of you that he might let me do a few things, maybe monitor communications or do a little surveillance, but I don’t think he’ll ever let me go in with you guys, even as backup.”

 

“No, he won’t.  Even if you suddenly remembered what to do, I don’t think he would do that to Aya.  You’ll have a hard time convincing Mr. Fujimiya to let you do even the simplest surveillance or research or communications, but if it’s important to you, try.  Aya is paranoid about your well being though, so I would start by assuring him that you don’t want your old job back first, if I were you.  The second thing that I suggested might be on his mind is a little trickier.  Let me ask you this.  Knowing what Aya does, how do you feel about him?”

 

“You mean, do I feel any differently about him because of his job?”  When Chloe nodded, Youji continued, “No.  I’m afraid for him, not of him.  In a way, I’m glad we waited, because it’s forced me to get to know him better.  I wasn’t as sure about my feelings before, I only knew that it felt right to be with him.  Now I know that I love him.  I just wonder if he will ever let me in.”

 

“What is holding him back isn’t a lack of affection on his part, or even him doubting your feelings necessarily.  I think this problem has to do with Aya perceiving himself as tainted.  He wants to keep you away from the missions physically, but in doing so, he’s associated himself with the danger.  By losing your memory and getting out of the game, you’ve become pure again and he’s afraid to touch you for fear of contaminating you,” Chloe explained.

 

Youji listened carefully and then chuckled a little.  “You know, Chloe, as brilliant as that sounds, it seems like something that Free would say, not you or Ken.”

 

“Yes, fine.  So I had a little help with that theory.  The point is you may have to be a little more aggressive.  Rid him of the notion that you’re some untouchable angel so that he doesn’t think he’s damaging you somehow.”

 

A grin broke out over Youji’s face before he replied, “Oh, I think I may be able to manage that.”

 

“Good.  Now eat up.  If you expect to live up to that grin, you’ll need your strength.”

 

Both men laughed and finished their dinner.  After Chloe took care of the check, they headed off to the nightclub to await their prey.

 

*****

 

At 10:30 the phone rang and moments later, Free was handing it off to Aya.

 

“Aya?  This is Mihirogi.  Free tells me that Chloe isn’t there, so you’ll have to meet with this contact for me.”

 

“Fine.  Where and when?” Aya asked.

 

“You need to be at the nightclub Spirituality by 11:30, and take backup with you.”

 

“Chloe just went shopping and ought to be back soon, can’t…”

 

“No, Aya.  I don’t want to risk having this guy leave.  You need to be in place by 11:30 sharp, and it’s a good thirty to forty minute drive from your location.”

 

“Fine.  I’ll take Ken with me.  He’s here and not doing anything, and would probably be more comfortable at this place than Free.  How will I know the person I’m meeting?”

 

“He’s blond and will be wearing jade earrings in both ears.  Offer to buy him a drink and he’ll ask for a midori sour, and then slip you a small data drive.  Once you have that, you can leave.  Any other questions?”

 

“Do you need to receive the data tonight?”

 

“You can email it to me tonight, or first thing tomorrow morning.  The analysis isn’t as critical as the drop-off.  He doesn’t have another window of opportunity for meeting with us before next week, and we need the data before then.  Let me know right away if he doesn’t show, but otherwise, the email is fine.”

 

“Alright, I’ll grab Ken and we’ll head out in 10 minutes.”

 

Aya hung up the phone and tracked his teammate down in his bedroom.

 

“Ken, grab some club clothes.  We’re leaving for a mission in 10 minutes.”

 

“Whoa, Aya, slow down.  What club?  What kind of clothes am I looking for here?” Ken asked convincingly.

 

With a look of chagrin on his face Aya replied, “Think ‘old Youji’.  We’re going to Spirituality.”

 

“Wow!  Total meat market.  Do you have any clothes for a place like that, Aya, or do you want to borrow something of Chloe’s?”

 

Ken noticed that Aya lowered his eyes and turned toward the door before answering, “I think I have something.  Meet me at the car and don’t be late.” 

 

Ken closed the door and ran to put on the outfit he already had picked out.  As he dressed, he tried to focus on keeping a straight face.  He needed to keep up the façade until after they were safely at the club.  Then it was all up to Chloe and Youji.

 

*****

 

It was 11:20 when Ken and Aya pulled into the nightclub’s parking lot.  The large structure loomed over them with it’s imposing spires and bell towers.  Spirituality occupied a large, deconsecrated gothic church.  The building had changed hands several times over the years before the current owners turned it into a highly successful nightclub.  The bar area was set up on the raised platform where the altar was once located, and the large stained glass window behind the altar was backlit for viewing inside by the patrons.  Dark wooden paneling covered the walls and gothic-styled iron lamps hung suspended from the roof high ceiling.  Of course, those lamps now shed considerably less light than they used to, but they were still functional.  Even the confessionals that were situated in a side alcove were left in place, although the small cubicles were now used for storage of napkins and liquor.

 

The pounding music reached their ears long before Aya and Ken could see inside, and it took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the darkened interior.  The club was filling rapidly, but was not yet as packed as it would be in another hour.  Making their way through the crowd, Aya took the stairs up to the old choir loft and tried to scope out the locations of individuals who fit the description given for his contact.  With such an advantageous lookout, it didn’t take the sharp eyed Fujimiya long to spot Chloe and Youji. 

 

Aya turned to Ken and quickly realized that his partner was not surprised to find their roommates in attendance.  “Is there actually a mission or was this all just a set up?” he finally growled in Ken’s ear.

 

“Please, Aya.  Give him a chance.  We went to a lot of trouble to get you here.  Don’t ruin it by running away.”  Ken pleaded with him.

 

Aya was beyond pissed at being manipulated in that way, but his eyes were drawn back to the form of his former lover as Youji swayed in time to the hypnotic electronic music that filled the club.  Watching Youji dance was like a highly addictive drug, the more you had, the more you wanted.  Songs never ended at the club, they just flowed into one another, so Aya had no idea how long he was standing there transfixed before he finally moved down the stairs and toward the dance floor. 

 

Chloe could see Aya walking up behind Youji and gave a nod to his dance partner to warn him.  Youji felt warm hands on his hips and then a body pressed up behind his own.  Aya’s teeth nipped at the small jade ball Youji was wearing in his ear, and Youji responded with a low moan and hands that wandered down and back, reaching for Aya’s hips.

 

“What are you doing here, Youji?” Aya asked.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to buy me a drink before I give you any information?” Youji replied.

 

“So this really is all just to get me here?  There is no contact?”

 

“There’s plenty of contact, Aya.  It’s just right in front of you.”  Youji turned around between Aya’s arms and kissed him right where they were standing.  Putting his hands back on Aya’s hips, Youji started to move his partner to the beat of the music while pressing their bodies together tightly.

 

Aya could feel Youji’s erection pressing against his own even through two sets of confining pants.  His own arousal becoming painful in its intensity, Aya growled in Youji’s ear, “I told you I wouldn’t be able to turn you away if you asked me again.  What is it that you want?”

 

Youji pulled his ear away from Aya’s lips and smiled before dipping his head to tongue at Aya’s ear.  When the redhead was panting and squirming, Youji finally answered, “I want to take you home and fuck you senseless, but I’ll settle for sucking you off in a dark corner here right now.”

 

Aya groaned at the sound of Youji’s words and felt his knees go weak.  Youji held him up and signalled to Chloe who began to lead them off the dance floor toward one of the confessionals hidden off to the side of the club.  Pulling out a small key, Chloe waited for his friends to arrive and discretely unlocked the door.  A large red curtain was draped along the sides of the confessionals and Chloe pulled it off the hook and lowered it to cover the door.  Stepping aside, Youji and Aya could walk into the booth with no one the wiser that the door had been opened. 

 

There wasn’t much room inside, but it was just enough for the two thin men.  Youji shut the door behind himself and pushed Aya back up against the inside wall.  Dropping to his knees, Youji wasted no time freeing Aya’s erection and covering it with his mouth.  He was a little nervous about this, after all he didn’t remember ever having done it before, but Youji knew what he liked and assumed that if Aya was excited enough, a little lack of talent on his part wouldn’t be too noticeable. 

 

Bobbing his head, Youji alternated between sucking and licking until Aya couldn’t take the teasing anymore.  Digging his hands into Youji’s hair and gripping his head firmly, Aya let loose, fucking Youji’s mouth with wild abandon.  Content to let Aya take command,  Youji forced himself to relax his jaw and throat until Aya spurted inside his mouth.  In spite his heroic effort, when Youji felt the hot come hit the back of his throat, his gag reflex kicked in and he tried to pull away.  Aya allowed him a little distance, enough to swallow, but still filled his mouth with hot, hard flesh as he rode of the last waves of his climax. 

 

When he was finally done, Aya pulled away and yanked Youji to his feet for a savage kiss.  Youji was still hard but wanted to get Aya home first.  Pulling away from the kiss, Youji tucked the sated Aya carefully back into his pants and asked him, “Think you can make it home now?” 

 

Lust flared again behind Aya’s eyes, but he nodded and reached for the door handle behind Youji’s ass.  Signaling Chloe that they were leaving, Youji followed Aya out of the club and to his car.  The drive home only took half the usual time and Youji half wondered how they managed to avoid a ticket given the way Aya was driving. 

 

Aya urged him quickly to the front door and viciously punched the alarm code into the keypad.  Barely taking the time to shut and relock the door, they tugged at one another’s clothes as they stumbled toward the bedrooms.  Youji dragged them inside his own room and pushed Aya against the wall once they were inside.

 

Aya managed to breathe out, “Why?” between hungry kisses.

 

“Do you have lube in your room?” Youji panted out in reply.

 

Aya’s answer consisted of a growl and a bite to Youji’s exposed neck.  Fingers tore at the buttons of both men’s shirts and they finally broke apart to peel out of their pants before falling together to the bed.

 

Youji tried to calm himself, tried to slow himself down so that he didn’t hurt Aya, but his partner wasn’t making it easy.  Putting lube on two shaking fingers, Youji slowly circled Aya’s entrance until Aya grabbed his hand and forced the fingers inside his own body.

 

“I won’t break, Kudou.” Aya growled affectionately.  “You can go a little faster than that.”  Grabbing for the lube.  Aya put some on his own hand and reached for Youji’s erection. 

 

Aya had already come once tonight but Youji was teetering on the edge and had to grab at Aya’s hand to make him stop.  Lubing a third finger, Youji went ahead and quickly stretched Aya the rest of the way until he was comfortable before starting to push himself inside. 

 

As much for himself as for Aya’s comfort, Youji pushed himself slowly past the vise like grip that marked the point where the two men merged.  It required a major act of self control for both men, long removed by years from their last experience with anal sex, to not come the minute Youji was fully sheathed inside Aya’s warm and willing body. 

 

Youji rained kisses down on Aya’s neck and moaned his name over and over while Aya clutched at Youji’s back and hair, unable to get enough of the feel of the precious body now restored to his loving care.  Despite their best efforts, Aya and Youji’s first coupling after their long years apart was over quickly.  Neither of them lasted more than a minute after that initial reuniting of their flesh, but they didn’t really mind.  They had all the time in the world now, and both men were determined that they would never be apart again. 

 

From the hallway outside Youji’s door, two newly arrived figures stood in the darkness and listened to the promises being made in earnest between two lovers who had found one another twice in one lifetime.  Ken eventually pulled Chloe away from the door and led him back to their own bedroom.  Once inside, they undressed quickly and escaped into their own world. 

 

Holding Chloe tightly in his arms, Ken breathed a sigh of relief that all was now well in his corner of the world and wondered how long it could last.  Nothing good ever used to last for Weiss before, though they had paid their dues over and over again.  Was it too much to hope that the ex-pat remnants of their old group had finally found some lasting happiness?  Bending over to kiss his lover, Ken drew hope from Chloe’s love and sank down into their bed, content to make the most of what they had now.

 

 

 

 

Fini

 

 

A/N: I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read this story, and especially those of you who offered comments and encouragement.  A special note of thanks to mac_lynn, whose generous hospitality opened the creative doors to this strange little story of mine, and to my husband for beta reading the un-lemony bits for grammar and punctuation.

It’s been an interesting journey.  I’ve never written anything of this length – either in individual chapters or in total story length – nor have I ever generated this much writing per day on such a regular basis.  The story was conceived on Oct. 2nd and I’m posting the last chapter today, Oct. 30th.  It’s been an intense four weeks and almost all of it has been great fun.  I won’t be doing NaNo this year, but it’s really nice to know that I could have pulled it off.


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